Acclaimed Paris-based electro pop sextet and JOVM mainstays L’Impératice — founder Charles de Boisseguin (keys), Hagni Gown (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), Tom Daveau (drums) and Flore Benguigui (vocals) — formed back in 2012. In a relatively short period of time, they quickly established a reputation for being extremely prolific: In their first three years together, they released 2012’s self-titled debut EP, 2014’s Sonate Pacifique EP and 2015’s Odyssée EP.
In 2016, the Parisian outfit released a re-edited, remixed and slowed down version of Odyssée, L’Empreruer, that was inspired by a fan, who mistakenly played a vinyl copy of Odyssée at the wrong speed. They followed that up with a version of Odysseé featuring arrangements centered around violin, cello and acoustic guitar.
During the summer of 2017, the Parisian electro pop act signed to microqlima records, who released that year’s Séquences EP. 2018’s full-length debut Matahari featured the attention grabbing single “Erreur 404,” which they performed on the French TV show Quotidien. They followed with an English language version of Matahari.
2021’s Renaud Letang co-produced sophomore album Taku Tsubo derived its name from the medical term for a broken heart, also known as takutsubo syndrome ((蛸 壺, from Japanese “octopus trap”). The condition usually manifests itself as deformation of the heart’s left ventricle caused by severe emotional or physical stress — i.e., the death of a loved one, an intense argument with someone you care about, a breakup, a sudden illness or the like. Yes, a broken heart can actually kill you.
The French JOVM mainstays are about to embark on their Double Trouble International Tour, a tour which sees the sextet playing two shows back-to-back in London, Berlin, Paris and here in NYC — with an April 9, 2024 show at Racket NYC and an April 10, 2024 show at Music Hall of WIlliamsburg. I’ve caught them once, and they’re a must-see act that will have the entire room dancing the night away. So I’m not surprised that all the shows on this run of tour dates are sold out. Along with that, they’re going to make a return to Coachella with sets April 12, 2024 and April 19, 2024, as well as stops at Austin City Limits and Outside Lands.
L’Impératice’s latest single “Me Da Igual,” is a sleek and elegant, hook-driven Giorgio Moroder-era-disco-meets-French touch tune anchored by a strutting bass line, a squiggling Nile Rodgers-like funk guitar line and glistening synths serving as a sinewy and silky bed for Flore Benguigui’s sultry and ethereal delivery. Further cementing the French outfit’s reputation for crafting infectious, sensual, dance floor friendly bops, “Me Da Igual” features lyrics sung in Spanish and French while being a call to free ourselves from the injunctions to please at all costs, to reclaim your body by abandoning yourself to the euphoria of strobe lights and the dance floor — and listening to the sensations that movement and sound provides you.