Papooz

Imagine a catchy pop gem, carried by an androgynous and haunting voice, dancing andgraceful like a soap bubble, designed as an anthem to joy. PAPOOZ’s summery sounds maketheir way into our ears never to leave.Their earlier entracing hit "Ann Wants To Dance" was an extraordinary success with 10 millionviews on YouTube with its kitschy and summery video and over 20 million streams on Spotifyand served as a kick-start for the duo, who had the simplest of goals: to make music,particularly pop, the soundtrack of their lives, out of love for guitars, but above all, to makepeople happy.For RESONATE, their fourth album, which began even before the release of its predecessor,Ulysse Cottin (the brunet) and Armand Penicaut (the blond) altered their composition processfor the first time, seeking the collaboration of Jesse Harris, an American songwriter known forhis work with Melody Gardot, Gabi Hartman, and Norah Jones. "One day," recalls Armand, "hesaid to us, “'Let's try writing a song together.” We got into it. By the end of the day, we hadrecorded a piece we adored. We repeated this process for about ten days, meeting everyafternoon in Ulysse's studio, writing, playing, and recording. We had the basic structure-a beat,a bassline, a rhythm guitar-but we didn't spend too much time harmonizing or arranging thepieces. We preferred to keep the spontaneity and energy intact, that immediate creative flow,full of freshness and sexiness."After composing and sketching out ten songs in Paris, the group flew to New York to meetJesse Harris once again, continuing this fluid and laid-back composition process in his loft in theheart of Tribeca. The first song born from these new sessions for PAPOOZ was "Resonate," acaptivating ballad tinged with folk strings and celestial choirs, which would give its name to thealbum. Armand explains, "Ulysse and I were going through a somewhat complex period.Theextensive live tour had exhausted us, my relationship was going through a crisis, and theconcept of resonance was a perfect metaphor to sum up the state in which both PAPOOZ andus found ourselves. Resonance is a concept theorized by Hartmut Rosa, a German sociologistand philosopher, as a remedy for the acceleration of the world and the madness ofcontemporary lives. But beyond the theory, it was necessary to rediscover the magic thatexisted between Ulysse and me, between our lives and the band, our audience and us, toregain the energy and joy we had in composing."Reconnecting with the fervor of their beginnings, like a welcome resurgence, Armand andUlysse then polished and finalized the score of songs from these writing sessions with producerPatrick Wimberly during a stay in the heart of Brooklyn. Of course, interspersed with nocturnalexpeditions in the city that never sleeps. Formerly of Chairlift alongside Caroline Polachek, theduo that revolutionized pop music, Wimberly is a sought-afterproducer-he's worked with BloodOrange, MGMT, Solange, Cola Boyy, and most recently on Lil Yatchi's incredible rap opera.He's a pop genius with whom the duo had been eager to work after a memorable encounter atthe Villa Aperta festival at the Villa Médicis. Armand recalls, "We were overjoyed when he accepted. He cranked up the sound, pushed us to rework certain arrangements, added finesseand cohesion to the album. He helped us bring to life this somewhat conceptual andmetaphorical idea of resonance without weighing down the pieces but rather polishing them,making them smoother, while retaining the spontaneity of the initial sessions, which was veryimportant to us. Most importantly, he restored our confidence.RESONATE is more immediate, raw while remaining melodic, melancholic and intimate,blending sentimental ballads and dance calls. The album recaptures the epic breath and theamorous nonchalance that characterized PAPOOZ's early steps. It's like the meeting of theamorous sweetness and California vibes of Metronomy with the psychedelic groove of MGMT.An ideal musical atmosphere visually brought to life by Moodoïd, who handles the visual aspectof the resonance concept. From "Resonate," with its heartfelt melancholy and haunting guitar,which opens the album, to the very funky and catchy "It Hurts Me," from the pop-infused andgroovy "Don't YouThink It'd Be Nice" to the slow and fatal "No One Else," the eleven tracks ofthe album showcase PAPOOZ's art of venturing into rock, pop, and song, driven by their knackfor melody that touches the heart, with lyrics finely crafted and delivered by the sublimelyandrogynous voices of Armand and Ulysse, and a joyous, stirring, and nonchalant groove that'sirresistibly infectious. All the while alternating between laughter and tears, melancholy andhedonism, ballads and dance invitations, introspection and letting go, with the same ease andspontaneity. In essence, it resonates with life in each of us.Ulysse and Armand met fifteen years ago in the never-ending line of a Parisian Patti Smithconcert. Their friendship was immediate, with afternoons spent reshaping the world, composingsnippets of songs on their guitars, and endless discussions about their love for songwriting.Their enjoyable guitars drew influence from the Beatles, Beach Boys, Steely Dan, VelvetUnderground, and Ry Cooder, all while approaching one of their major influences, Erlend Oye ofKings Of Convenience, and his project oscillating between pop and rock, euphoria andmelancholy, The Whitest Boy Alive.Their love for music spans across the vast landscape of Los Angeles highways, the artsyposture of New York, the psychedelia of the Summer of Love, the sophistication of post-punk,the intimacy of folk, and the flirtation with funk. A grand, hedonistic, and electric mix infused witha burst of pop and refreshing nonchalance! Active for a decade, equally at ease in the studioand on stage, they carried three albums under their belt, from the beginner, homemade, andnaive "Green Juice" (2016) to the very groovy and psychedelic "Night Sketches" (2019) createdwith Adrien Durand of Bon Voyage Organisation, passing through "None Of This Matters Now"(2022), folk-oriented and deceptively calm. PAPOOZ has seamlessly fit into the revival of theFrench pop-rock scene, along with La Femme, Feu Chatterton, Catastrophe, Moodoïd,L'Impératrice, and Bon Voyage Organisation. All of these bands, fueled by the success ofPhoenix, assert their influences with a relaxed attitude while exploring new frontiers withelectronic elements.