10 years after Melody’s Echo Chamber, French artist Melody Prochet will return with a third studio album, Emotional Eternal. The project was crafted in Stockholm with the same team of Bon Voyage (2018). “I hope the record has that uplifting quality,” she stated. “I wanted to be more grounded and mindful through the process. I guided the sessions with simplicity — a contrast with the maximalism of Bon Voyage and the wilderness of my delusions. I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this. It’s more direct.”

Prochet has also shared the scintillating first single, “Looking Backward,” which she describes has a “happy accident”. Watch the accompanying animation, which was created by Hyoyon Paik, and pre-order the album via Bandcamp.

London-via-Singapore cyber-pop artist yeule amazed us last year with the release of her debut album Serotonin II. She has now returned with a hazy new track, “Quand Vas Tu Rentrer,” which is actually a cover of Melody’s Echo Chamber (from her 2012’s excellent debut album). The self-produced track is the eighteenth instalment in her Nuclear War Post series. Get the track via Bandcamp below.

Following up on “Breathe In, Breathe Out” and “Cross My Heart“, French singer-songwriter Melody Prochet aka Melody’s Echo Chamber is unveiling a third single off of her upcoming sophomore album “Bon Voyage”. About this particularly lush new single, the artist stated:

[su_quote]It embodies my difficult life journey these last few years through my own personal desert of heartaches, thirst, mirages, moving sands, disillusionment and of becoming an adult woman in a mad world. It’s a little punk to me somehow.[/su_quote]

Listen to “Desert Horse” and check the Dr D Foothead-directed video that comes with it below.

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Six years after their self-titled debut album, Melody’s Echo Chamber are back. Last year, the artist had to cancel a part of her tour and to be hospitalized following a serious accident. Luckily, the band of Melody Prochet is back and they did not lose an ounce of their dreamy and psychedelic soundscapes as proven on their new single “Breathe In, Breathe Out”. This single also marks the debut of the artist on drums. “I’m used to recording with masters of drums and accepting my drum playing as not perfect but with the right intention was a big deal to me” she said. Watch the Dr D Foothead-directed video below.

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The seven tracks of Melody’s Echo Chamber‘s “Bon Voyage” were notably written in the inspiring region of Solna, Sweden. About the creative process of the album, she detailed:

[su_quote]Swedish nature helped me to breathe and soothed me in times of anxiety. I had a majestic forest with a lake three minutes’ walk from my home. Recording sessions were a break in our lives, an escape from our frustrations as young adults, parents, musicians and embittered life jugglers. What transpired was a kind of modern fairytale full of duality: beautiful and disenchanted, happy and painful, internal and external, childish and mature, but also violent and measured. We had no structure and no limits and we stepped out of our comfort zones.[/su_quote]

“Luna Man” is the latest single by Xenoula from her upcoming self-titled album (coming this November 24). The quality of her voice is reminiscent of a lot of French music, with her gentle sweetness and fragility combined with a slight raspiness.  Her voice is idiosyncratic and reminds me overexposed pastel colors and round shapes. The way she sings is soft, and done in a way that stretches and bends and cracks over the music. There is a section of the track where she whisper-sings, and it’s an interesting sort of intimacy to come from a song. She is right there, whispering in your ear, all the while sounding just out of reach. I also really enjoy the way she modulates her voice when she sings. 

Her voice slightly reminds me of that of Coeur de Pirate and my mind keeps coming back to drawing comparisons to Melody’s Echo Chamber, but what marks Xenoula’s distinction from others is her actual music. It’s a blend of natural and rhythmic music, layered over some deep, doo wop-y harmonies and futuristic/gentle keyboard strokes. It’s complex in a sense, but it still maintains a sense of minimalistic simplicity. There is a sense of urgency created, while also giving the feeling that you are completely still: like standing on the edge of a freeway or river. 

The music is built around a solid beat created with wooden block sounding drums. There’s a very natural feel to it, almost reminding me of the sound of tabla drums from India. There is a minor-key, French bistro-esque way to how the music comes together. 

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The video she put out for this track is transfixing. The color palette is of fading coral pinks and lavenders and greyish-blues. It reminds you of late sunset, when the colors are slightly muted as night begins to seep into day.  The video consists of imagery of forests and bodies of water with a lone figure clad in futuristic, metallic clothes wandering around. It’s a pleasant video to watch, and the aesthetics are not something you see every day. The qualities of Xenoula’s music are imbued and represented in the video.

If you’re looking for a track that’s a good kind of weird and left-of-center, check out Xenoula and her new track “Luna Man” (and keep an eye out for her upcoming album too). It sounds like a splash of clear spring water: nice and cool and refreshing.

Other internet places to find Xenoula: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram!