For those of us not blessed with the ability to convert critiquing thoughts instantly to text, the crowbar to break into the strongbox of a new review is nearly always an angled opening phrase. For weeks, this writer has been endlessly tossing the two-word assessment of “just joyous” into an unfinished text salad, in respect to Coup Dur’s debut mini-album.
If things were only left at that, The English Want… Coup Dur would, however, be done a documentary disservice. Everything about this nineteen-minute selection is indeed just a joy — from the neat inviting 10” vinyl presentation right down to the deep hooks embedded in its actual grooves.
This ultra-fresh French-Belgian trio seem to have been gifted from right the start with youthful vitality and retro-pop precision, all fused together with embraceable élan. Forged through the combined talents of Avril De Broucker (guitar, vocals), Clémence D’Hulst (bass, vocals) and César Laloux (drums), these eight cuts are so infectious and so crafted that it’s hard to believe that the material was put to tape in only a two-day studio last year.
Hence, across the first half, we’re spun through the stomping harmony-drenched “Mon Amie”; the staccato punkish jabs of “J’avais Pas Pensé À Ça”; the swooning languid “Bigger Fisher In Sea”; and the head-bobbing Phil Spectorised drums-propelled “J’attendrai”.
Over on the flipside, the contiguousness of “Ça Me Vexe” may warrant a future vaccine roll-out; “Tu Dis Des Choses” provides a funky percussive twist on early Anglo beat-pop; “Encore Un Mythe” feels like it could lead to a renewed Riot Grrl uprising; and “De La Lumière” brings down the curtains with a contrastingly wistful elegance.
-Adrian-
