Christine and the Queens Redcar Les Adorables Étoiles
French lyrics, eighties synths and the enchantingly ethereal vocals of alter-ego Redcar combine to make Redcar Les Adorables Étoiles beautifully mysterious.
‘Ma bien aimée bye bye’ introduces the pseudonymous new album from Christine and the Queens, summarising what it means for Chris to become his alter-ego Redcar: linguistically multifaceted and musically compelling. The fullness of the instrumentation on this record makes for an enticing experience as you try to grasp each individual layer of sound, from the funky basslines and reverb effects to the emotive backing vocals.
As the album unfolds it becomes more intricate and intense until it reaches ‘My birdman’, which breaks the continuity by beginning in a more laid-back way – almost lo-fi in its homeliness.
Although the album floats through new ideas and sounds there’s something characteristically Christine and the Queens about ‘rien dire’, with its synthesised beats and long-held notes. Contrastingly, ‘Je te vois enfin’ – the first single from the album – kicks off almost identically to ‘Strangers’ by Sigrid but swiftly makes a U-turn back towards the groovy tone of its neighbours.
‘Les ‘âmes amantes’ sits patiently at the end of the 13-track album, concluding it with yet another high-energy track. Translating to “lover souls”, it’s lyrically similar to Florence and the Machine’s music, with ideas of lovers’ lights and the intensity of the individual. It acts as a bookend to ‘Ma bien aimée bye bye’ and yet again epitomises the well thought-through piece of work that is Redcar Les Adorables Étoiles.
