If you’ve been a following JOVM over the last month or so, you may have come across a post on the Montreal, QC-based singer/songwriter Xavier Cafeine. Cafeine’s first two albums, Mal Eduqué Mon Amour and Giselle were released to critical praise in his native Quebec and they’re considered part of the province’s punk rock canon, as the material on both albums openly and proudly defied easy categorization. In fact, his holiday time single “Love Disease (Christmas in New York) drew from punk rock, glam rock, pop and other genres as it describes something that will be familiar to many of us – the loneliness and heartache of being alone during the holidays because of a heartbreaking breakup. But throughout that song there was a defiant, proud tone to it that says, “yes, I’m alone and heartbroken but life goes on. And there’ll be others.” That defiant and proud tone gives the song a rather rousingly anthemic feel. 

Xavier Cafeine’s latest effort, New Love will see a Stateside release on February 17, and the album’s latest single “Electric” continues the Montreal-based singer/songwriter’s reputation for a genre mashing, hard to define sound as the song is comprised of shimmering synths, tight bass lines and anthemic vocals. In some way, it sounds as though it draws influences from 80s synth pop, Joy Division/interpol/The Killers and punk rock. But at its heart is a swooning, urgent romanticism – the sort of romanticism that’s rare in a fickle and superficial pop world. 

His latest album, New Love which will feature “Love Disease (Christmas in New York)” will see a Stateside release on February 17th, and I think as a result of this single, Cafeine will probably be a name you’ll hear in many more Stateside blogs.