French combo
En Attendant Ana
made a significant creative leap between their scrappy but charming 2018 full-length debut and 2020's excellent
Juillet
. With each release, the Parisians have shown a further refinement of their melodic indie pop and post-punk blend, and 2023's
Principia
is no different. The progression of singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter
Margaux Bouchaudon
has been a graceful upward curve of poignancy and nuance that offsets the band's sharp attack. With their chiming guitars, vintage organs, and motorik rhythms,
feel like generational heirs to
Stereolab
's artful legacy, but
Bouchaudon
's sweet, airy vocals and almost reluctant vulnerability help break through a sense of cool that might otherwise keep them at arm's length. The songs on
are at once more immediate and casual than earlier releases, as if the band has found its most confident groove. The bouncing pop lilt of "Black Morning" and the taut rhythms of "The Cut Off" reveal some of the group's best work to date, but it's the surprisingly emotional "Wonder" that breaks new ground for
. Delivered in two distinct sections, the song's introspective front portion soon segues into a quietly insistent beat over which
questions her very nature, singing "I'm a good human being, my mama said, and I hope she's right." It's an oddly affecting statement that when repeated over the song's ecstatic crescendo takes on dueling layers of joy and desperation.
is a diverse and tightly crafted LP from a band who seem to have come fully into their own skin. ~ Timothy Monger