Over the past couple of years I’ve written a bit about the Perpignan, France-based psych rock duo The Limiñanas, and as you may recall the French duo have become one France’s most renowned indie acts, thanks in part for a sound that draws from psych rock, shoegaze, and yé-yé, centered around arrangements featuring fuzzy, distorted power chords, reverb heavy hooks and effortlessly cool vocals. And much like fellow countrymen La Femme, their sound is heavily indebted to 60s American guitar rock and psych rock while managing to capture something quintessentially French.
Released last year, the duo’s Istanbul Is Sleepy EP was initially recorded at their home studio and finished at Anton Newcombe‘s Berlin-based studio, and the EP’s title track and lead singer “Istanbul Is Sleepy” found the French duo collaborating with the The Brian Jonestown Massacre founder and frontman, who contributed both his imitable vocals and guitar to a scuzzy, garage rock track that reportedly was influenced by Rain-era The Cult. And as the members of The Limiñanas recalled in press notes, the collaboration can trace its origins to 2016 or so, when Mojo Magazine asked them to contribute a track to a Kinks tribute compilation. “We chose ‘Two Sisters,’” Lionel explains in press notes. “Marie and I were thinking for the vocal part, it would be great to approach Anton Newcombe, having opened for The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Le Trianon in Paris. The work began like that. We had an album to record and we decided to finish it with him. During the Christmas week we took our demos, flew to Berlin and recorded at Anton’s studio. Six days later we had a finished album
“Shadow People,” the first official single off the duo’s Twisting the Shadow People, which was released earlier this year, found the duo collaborating with French actress Emmanuelle Seigner and Renaud Picard, the frontman of Hair and the Iotas on a slow-burning and meditative track that featured a hazy, dream-like hook. “Dimanche,” Shadow People‘s latest single is a chilly and menacing track that has the band collaborating with Bertrand Belin who delivers lyrics in a cool and detached French over pulsating synths, a motorik-like groove and twangy guitar chords — and interestingly enough, the latest single reveals a band that’s subtly expanding upon their sound, while continuing their focus on the dichotomy between dark and light in the moody fashion that captured the attention of critics and fans internationally.
Directed by Aurelien Richter, the recently released video for “Dimanche” was shot gorgeously and artful black and white that nods to film noir and Quentin Tarantino films and the visuals emphasize the song’s overall moody vibe. Throughout you’ll see the members of The Limiñanas with Emmanuelle Seigner, Foulke de Boixo, who has made frequent appearances in their videos and the Betrand Belin.
