REQUIN CHAGRIN is a multifaceted creative guising of Marion Brunetto, who’s an author and multi-instrumentalist with an ear for blissful beauty, for sure.
A well-received, eponymous debut emerged in 2015, came on 10″, and contained early surf-garage belters such as “Le Chagrin”; 2019’s Sémaphore proved this was no passing ship in the night and kicked on in a more halcyon, shoegaze meets dream pop shimmer, as illustrated by the reverb-washed “Mauvais Présage”. Françoise Hardy meets Cocteau Twins; falling for that was easy to do.
And that creative spark is in full flow on her new album, Bye Bye Baby, out now via KMS Disques and Sony Music France; check the new single, “Fou”, for an absolute gem. Warmed by Robin Guthrie guitars, early-Eighties pure pop synth melodicism, yé-yé and beautiful French language. Win.
The video is a beautifully shot vintage affair directed by Valentin Pitarch, transporting Requin Chagrin back in time to the 1970s motorcycle Grands Prix; and specifically, in homage to 15-time world champion Giacomo Agostini. Two wheels, not four, but I’m also getting shades of the classy 1966 French film Un Homme Et Une Femme.
“Fou”, we’re told, concerns unreciprocated feelings and is comprised of “four chords and not one more.”
Marion tells of the video and its creation: “While imagining a music video for ‘Fou’, I wanted enthusiasm, speed, and I ended up picturing a motorbike race.
“I called on Valentin Pitarch to write and direct the music video, whom I have already worked with on animation projects. We share a passion for image and visual references from 60s’ and 70s’ Agostini races. We felt like filming a solo race, happening during day and night-time, without stopping or looking back.
“I liked the idea of having something intense put to image, strong sensations over lyrics that talk about love that drives one crazy.”
“Fou” follows the synthier but equally absolutely swoonsome “Déjà-Vu”, the video for which you can watch here.
Fancy more of an exploration? There’s a full live set from Paris’s Le Petit Bain, here; how about a behind-the scenes album trailer featuring Marion recording Bye Bye Baby in Brussels? Marion has also put together a Bye bye baby playlist of her musical inspirations for the record, which includes Chromatics, Magnetic Fields, Pale Saints, MGMT, Anika and Cocteau Twins. Some absolute loveliness there, too.
Requin Chagrin’s Bye Bye Baby is out now digitally, on CD and on vinyl through KMS Disques and Sony Music France; if you’re in the UK, cross your fingers and hope Amazon France can fulfil an order, here.
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