L'Impératrice Explore the Cause and Cure For Heartbreak On Dazzling Return "Tako Tsubo"

View fullsize

L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

Paris’ grooviest export L’Impératrice are back in full-force with the release of their latest record, Tako Tsubo. The band has kept us (patiently!) on the edge of our seats for a full-length project since their 2019 debut Matahari; building anticipation touring around the world with their bubbling basslines, hypnotic melodies and irresistible danceability.

After three years of internal growth, the band’s return has proven to be worth the wait. Indeed, L’Impératrice’s latest venture is a shimmering think-piece on life’s ever-perplexing phenomenon of broken-heart syndrome, which derived the name Tako Tsubo (meaning “octopus trap” in Japanese).

In thirteen impeccably mastered tracks (graced with the touch of the legendary Neal Pogue, who has worked with the likes of Outkast, Stevie Wonder and Tyler the Creator), L’Impératrice tackles this affliction and it’s many symptoms, from euphoria to emotional burnout and ennui. Impressively, this album offers both a diagnosis and a cure, with full-bodied funk, twinkling vintage accents and a playfulness that dissolves the bitterness of heartbreak’s ache. Read our conversation with L’Impératrice below to get a glimpse into the world of Tako Tsubo, which the band has announced they will take on tour in 2022!

View fullsize

Tako Tsubo (2021) album cover by Ugo Bienvenu

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hello L'Impératrice! Thank you so much taking the time to chat with me. Congratulations on the release of Tako Tsubo! To start, let's talk about your evolution as a group since your last release, Matahari. What elements of your creative process have solidified or changed over the last three years, and how have these developments in your dynamic influenced this record? 

L’Impératrice: We’ve spent most of our time touring in France and abroad over the last three years, which has really impacted our dynamic as a band. First of all, we’ve grown closer to each other; we really grew up as a family. We also got to connect with new cultures and audiences; new waves of receiving our music, and it was very enriching. This time touring made us want to produce music in a different way, without making any compromises… Something more sincere and more close to what we feel we really are.

Also Cool: When comparing your two albums, you could say that Tako Tsubo comes across as more critical than Matahari, which emotionally taps into the lightness of a new romance. What led to the band deciding to tackle the phenomenon of heartbreak in its many forms, and was that enhanced by creating during the pandemic? 

L’Impératrice: The album was 90% recorded when the COVID-19 hit, so the pandemic didn’t influence it in a huge way. But, we did write “Submarine” from scratch during lockdown; a love breakup song. 

Nothing was really planned while we wrote the album, and we discovered after recording everything that all the songs were about marginality in various forms. The idea of being alienated from society; different from the others, and accepting it, or having a hard time accepting it, in some cases. The album’s title Tako Tsubo, or “broken heart syndrome,” represents this breach in the system, this sudden rupture in the course of things when an emotion is suddenly too intense to be handled. The album really is all about intense emotions. 

AC: At the same time, it seems as though Tako Tsubo looks at defying, and also rejecting, societal expectations. How did you incorporate this concept into the sound and feel of your album?  

L: The concept can be felt in the lyrics of the songs of course, but also in the sound and the production. Most of the songs have a lot of breaks, brutal key changes and sudden rhythm changes. We always wanted to surprise the listeners and even our own ears, but still keep a coherence in the sound. The idea was that one can never know where the song will go. We made no compromise for this record, so it might sound weird and unusual, but it’s really faithful to what we wanted to express.

View fullsize

L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

AC: Speaking of sound, can you tell me more about the production journey of this album and what it was like working with your right hand Renaud Létang along with the legendary Neal Pogue? 

L: Renaud really pushed us to bring the songs somewhere else and to create all these breaks within the songs. He’s always focusing on emotions and groove, which are crucial in this record. 

Neal was the key person in this new sound we wanted to create. Besides being a living legend, he’s got this very Californian vibe that we’re fascinated with. He’s got this knowledge of low-end production down to a science, which French producers just don’t have. He really brought this physical intensity to the album. You can feel the bass-lines in your belly! 

AC: Branching off of that, this album is accompanied by so many amazing visual projects. Satire has played such a big part in illustrating the messages from this album, in the videos for "Peur de filles" and "Fou" especially. How did these hilarious scenes come to life to enhance the lyrical content of their soundtracks? 

L: It’s a new field we really wanted to explore with this album, using lyrics and also imagery. We’re really inspired by Michael Franks and his ironic song lyrics. We’ve never appeared in our own videos before, so we decided that it could be funny in a “self-mocking” way to try it out. We can’t appear seriously in a clip lip-syncing and wind in our hair, in a cabriolet… It’s just not the way we are! And that’s not the image we want to show.

AC: I’m also curious to know more about the album cover! What is the story behind the artwork created by Ugo Bienvenu? 

L: Ugo is a true genius and we were so excited to have him draw the cover. It’s the first time that an artist has made us an album cover from scratch — we’re so proud! We told him everything about the Tako Tsubo concept and he went further; exploring the myth of the moires, these three divinities holding the strings of humans’ lives, and how this pair of scissors can, in one move, change the course of things... 

AC: To end things off, what are your plans for the future and how do you plan to present Tako Tsubo live once it's possible to tour once again? 

L: Now that the album is out, we’re doing everything we can to promote it. We’re doing a lot of live sessions from our studio in Paris, meeting our fans every Wednesday night on an Instagram live to talk about one song a week, where we play it and then we show old demos, talk about the writing process, and have some guests that worked on the song with us. We are of course more than ready for the next tour… One thing is for sure: 2022 will be a huge touring year full of live music and love! 

View fullsize

L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

L’Impératrice

Website | Instagram | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

---

Related Articles

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice: Vanille Serves Up Franco-Pop for Brighter Days Ahead

View fullsize

Rachel Leblanc / Vanille by Dominic Berthiaume

After three years of creative introspection, pop singer Rachel Leblanc, also known as Vanille, is footing a more sincere debut en Français with the release of her LP Soleil ‘96, via Quebec label Bonbonbon. What makes this album especially validating for the 60s-inspired artist is allowing her mother tongue, and by extension her unmediated stream-of-consciousness, to bloom in her songwriting. Ditching English lyrics has brought on a new level of confidence for Leblanc; allowing her embody a performance style that nurtures her artistic pursuits, rather than projecting the image of a “cool” frontwoman for the sake of her audience. For lovers of Françoise Hardy and Mazzy Star, look no further — Vanille is reviving yéyé with a lusty 90s sensibility. Take a peek at our interview below to read more about her playful, and signature, je-m'en-fous approach to songwriting.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for collaborating with Also Cool. To start, can you tell our readers more about your act Vanille? Would you describe "Vanille" as a persona, or more so as an extension of yourself?

Rachel Leblanc: Thank you so much for having me! Vanille is really just the name of the project. I don't really like when people call me Vanille or ''the singer of Vanille,” haha! It's not a persona, nor a fraction of myself. I just wanted a name for the project that reflected the cuteness and nice vibes of my music! I started Vanille four years ago and I originally sang in English. I later realized that I was not completely honest with myself, and that [the project] was less me and more the image of what I thought was “cool.” From that realization, I began to write songs in French — more in a classic writer-composer spirit than what I did before, and I really found confidence in that.

Also Cool: You've recently released your first album Soleil '96 - congratulations! Can you share what inspired this album, both emotionally and sonically?

Rachel Leblanc: I was really inspired by the 60's British bands and the ones from the West coast of the US in the same era. I wanted to make a rock album, but also an album with catchy melodies and bittersweet lyrics. I listened a lot to Margo Guryan, The Beach Boys, The Zombies but also Sonic Youth and Belle & Sebastian. That melting pot made me write different kinds of songs over the past four years. I usually write songs when I listen to a lot of music during the day. I spin LPs everyday and the greatness of what I hear always pushes me to write, or at least to try something. That's where I get all my inspiration.

AC: Branching off of that, releasing an album is always exciting for an artist, especially when it's your first! Did anything about the experience of producing and sharing Soleil '96 impact your outlook as an artist? Were there any moments that were particularly special?

RL: Releasing an album during a pandemic is weird, but I never experienced it during ''normal times,'' so I couldn't compare, haha. I think that it was mostly good, because people were happy to hear a new album and the enthusiasm was really there for me. I enjoyed making this album with my friends and I will continue to work with the people I know and love! I understood how important it is for me. The team of people I worked with (Guillaume Mansour, Jean-Sébastien Gervais, Julien Pagé, Benoît Parent and Emmanuel Ethier) were very tight and professional. It was also a huge, fun experience because it was taped before the pandemic and we ate a lot of food during those sessions — a lot of candy… and that's something I will remember. I'm starving right now!

View fullsize

Rachel Leblanc / Vanille by Dominic Berthiaume

AC: You mention that you take inspiration from French yéyé singers from the 1960s; what about these artists and their music resonates with you?

RL: I just adore the simplistic melodies and the light-hearted energy from this era. There was a nice effort in making pretty music and the refinement is beyond compare! The looks were also on point, haha! There's also a kind of je-m'en-foutisme that I really love. The attitude and style of the Swinging Sixties and the psychedelia influence on the artists interests me a lot.

AC: In relation to those influences, what is your approach to making music that has a vintage appeal with a current twist? Are there any particular practices you use to achieve this sound?

RL: We used a lot of old guitars for this album. Emmanuel helped a lot to choose the right guitars and basses for each part on the album. We used a lot of different mics with various reverb effects, and kind of created with a speaker in another room where our winter boots were. We used different kinds of synths also… I'm unfortunately not a gear gal and I couldn't tell what we used, haha! I think it could have sounded more retro, but I the next [album] will fulfill this need! I want to use old instruments like the harpsichord and the mandoline. I'm looking forward to that!

AC: I know that you recently were on the cover of Le Devoir and were featured in the Journal de Montreal, which are amazing milestones! How does it feel to receive such positive reception so far, and what lasting impressions are you hoping the album will have?

RL: It's such a dream! I couldn't be happier. The fact that my music resonates with a lot of people is the best feeling in the world. I'm really grateful for what's happening to me and I'm living this precious time with a lot of tenderness for everyone. I wish I could play live in front of people and see them smiling and singing with me, but I'm sure it will happen one day! I hope that this album made people feel a little better or understood during these times (sorry I sound like an ad).

AC: Before we let you go, what is the year ahead looking like for you, and how can we best support you and your music?

RL: I hope to be able to play everywhere in Quebec this summer, but it's really too soon to tell... I will definitely work on my second LP, taping it in the woods in the Laurentides, probably in Fall. A bright year is ahead of me and of all fellow artists. People will want to date [again] and everyone knows that bringing your crush to a good show is the way to go baby!

Vanille (She/Her)

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Bio

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (She/Her) is the Co-Founder and Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, radio host & DJ, and a musician.

---

Related Articles