Album Review: Christine and the Queens – Christine and the Queens
2 min read
Percolating somewhere inside a bubble of sweet French synthpop goodness is Héloïse Letissier AKA Christine and the Queen’s self-titled debut record. The Nantes born singer-songwriter unveils a record filled with a jostling bunch of indie pop strut-worthy jams, meticulously displayed over its forty-six minutes. The album is a moving waterway of chugging artistic swirls through ornate contemporary music. Unravelling through a synthy-electronica maze, Christine and the Queens stretches all the required elements of quixotic vibrations that you’ll be aching to have repeated.
Hypnotising gentle movements are thrown down in the second track Saint Claude, as it operates through French verses before a silky transition moves into a bright chorus in English. Heavenly vocal control melds perfectly with the production methods. Subdued and triumphant synth modes exert on top of lighthearted drum machine bits and thick orchestral strings. The track is cradled with a purposeful, creative abundance. Tilted exhibits a warped lead synth drum machine fervor, bringing it closer to the vocal rhythm relationship. Letissier’s vocals emanate a sustainable strength and cheeky quality. Half way through this gem softly whispered vocals delivered in her native tongue take us on a heart-throbbing roller coaster ride of musical intimacy for about 20 lavish seconds, before finally releasing a 4/4 beat ridden final punch that binds the track with an unwanted end.
No Harm Is Done rolls through a breakbeatish, R&B number and 808-bass heavy jam with collaborator Tunji Ige, who joins Christine on this classed joint. Spacious production moments jolt within the boundaries of this contemporary soul splitting jewel. Tunji’s rap contributions and vocals add a sublime momentum and cool smoothness. Tender in nature yet confronting enough to display shades of sadness joy and withdrawn anger, it adds a fundamental ingredient in the song’s inescapable, infectious groove. With an unprecedented scope of creative ease, Letissier’s stunning soft natured exuberance and silky shine draw on a subtle elegance – the fulcrum of her musical ingenuity. We can see this in Science Fiction – another 4/4 beat-ridden burner which grips the vocals and situates them neatly, snug behind the melodious vibrancy that shines with a sustained appeal. A meter shattering bassline transposes for the duration of the track, complimenting the concerning tone delivered from the lyrics. Christine’s vocals seem to interchange over a continuum of emotion within this record – layered, self-harmonising with mastery and intoxicating passion.
This is indie pop music done the correct way. The French way. The products of sunny motives and oozing coolness saturate the record’s vast beauty. Serious basslines and bi-lingual mastery float comfortably over majestic music production and spectral rhythms. Christine and the Queen is a wondrous debut record from the artist, a palatable gift of sorts, paired with a rich desire that will have you asking for more.
