08 10

Essaie Pas Demain Est Une Autre Nuit DFA Records

22.02.16

2015 ended with some notable post-punk activity: Optimo’s rarities compilation finally saw the light of day, and Maximum Joy reformed for two comeback shows. Both of these events involved gazing longingly at the past. But this most timeless of genres is always morphing and adapting, and in the debut album of Montreal duo Essaie Pas, the post-punk spirit gets a rocket strapped to it, propelling it smack bang into the present day.

Demain Est Une Autre Nuit is equal parts pulsating, acid-drenched disco, and nonchalant new-wave strut, sounding something like Helena Hauff remixing ESG into beautiful techno oblivion. There isn’t a weak track on the album. But the seedy, voyeuristic electro-nostalgia of Retox is a standout, alongside the more overtly techno-fied Lights Out, which is every bit as good as Factory Floor’s cerebral stomps. Depassee par le Fantasme comes over like a pitched down, dark-and-dirty Etienne de Crecy, while album closer La Chute smothers everything in a slowly unfolding dream-sequence – distant and detached. If you were wondering whether DFA Records could still pull out an absolute blinder, then Essaie Pas are the answer. Stylish and sleazy, Demain Est Une Autre Nuit is a pretty much flawless exercise in electro-disco decadence.