Maître Gims: I see you again

Another new release - I see you again - drops from Maître Gims, in quick succession to his last single.

With  Melynda Gates just released, he's followed it up with the track I See You Again.

There have already been two earlier releases,  Est-ce que tu m'aimes and  Laissez passer.

Gims relases his new album Mon cœur avait raison at the end of next month, his second solo album and follow-up to his massively successful Subliminal debut from 2013.

His new release will be a double CD, and the emergence of the new tracks ahead of it give a flavour of the variety of material presented on it, from ballads to rap.

Gims, with his solo career and his work with Sexion d'Assaut, has become one of French rap's biggest figures and his new album will be one of the scene's key releases of this year.

Live dates from Gims have been lined up, with a show at Bercy in Paris on December 14.

New Acts: Peter Pitches - Nobody Knows

A track released last month by Peter Pitches, a four piece act from Tours.

The band features singer and guitarist Pierre Monzo, originally a solo artist now working with three accomplices.

This live version of Nobody Knows shows an agile indie rock, flavoured by the likes of Tortoise and with a charming wistfulness.

It follows the release of a five track Mini album in 2013, Offshore of the Island.  It's well worth a listen if masterly crafted modern dream pop is your thing, which it should be.

They recently played at the Printemps de Bourges festival, an important showcase for new French acts.

The live track is available as a free download from their Bandcamp site

The band promise there's more to come in the near future, and from what they've produced so far it will be worth watching out for.

Shy'm: Silhouettes

A new single by Shy'm, with the song Silhouettes.

It's the fourth track to be taken as a single from the R 'n' B star's 2014 Solitaire album.

The alum, her fifth, reached the top ten in France.

It follows last years's  La Malice, L'effet De Serre and On S'en Va which came out in January.

The release has been remixed to be more dance friendly and

The video gives a taste of her live show, something her fans will be able to exerience with festival dates over the summer and arena dates in October and November, including two shows at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy on November 17 and 18.

Carbon Airways: Break the Silence

A track by Carbon Airways that emerged last month, a tribute to the whistleblowers who risk their own freedom by revealing the truth that has been covered up by the authorities.

The video was shot in the suitably science fiction setting of Noisy le Grand near Paris

For an acts tacking a difficult subject, Carbon Airways are a very young act, with brother and sister Engus and Eléonore still not out of their teens.

Despite their young age, they launched their first EPS hake Your Rage in 2011, playing the Les Transmusicales de Rennes festival that year, and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami the following year.

This led to a record contract and more festival dates around France. Subsequent releases have followed, Oxydizer and Razor Edge in 2012, the four track Black Sun EP in 2013 and the four track EP You Walk Away in 2014.

A new EP by Carbon Airways is expected in September.

They've got live dates at the Oeno Music Festival in Dijon on July 11, the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan next month and the Zikamart Festival in Switzerland in September.

New Acts: Ghost Friends - Enlighten Me

Four piece indie rock act Ghost Friends come from Caen in  Basse-Normandie, and they make a
wonderful racket.

They two tracks Enlighten Me and Let You Down emerged at the end of May. Their self-titled debut EP was released in February, featuring six tracks including a cover of Teen Suicide track Everything is Fine.

There's a nod to classic acts like the Pixies in their music, even the VHS style video give a 90s flashback. There's a a strong sense of melody but with an experimental edge.

I reckon they're the kind of band who would sound superb live, hopefully we'll get the chance to see more of them before too long.

Maître Gims: Melynda Gates

A new video by French rapper Maître Gims for the track Melynda Gates.

The release comes ahead of Gims's second solo album Mon coeur avait raison.

 His most recent single Est-ce que tu m'aimes ? is currently one of the big sellers in France.

Gims is no doubt keen to repeat the success he enjoyed last summer with the song Bella. The album it came from, Subliminal, has been a massive seller. It reached number two in France and has had sales of over 600,000, so his follow up is certainly anticipated.

Even though he's a member of Sexion D'Assaut, one of France's most successful rap collectives,  Gims has also become one of France's biggest rap solo artists.

Mon coeur avait raison, a double CD,  is expected to be released on August 28.

Hyphen Hyphen: Monte le Son session

I featured Hyphen Hyphen recently on the blog, so nice to come across a session by them for Monte
le Son

The band plays Just Need your Love, the track that featured as their most recent single
The four piece, originally from Nice,  released a four track EP last month featuring the tracks The Fear Is Blue,  I See Myself and two versions of Just Need Your Love.

I always like a session clip like this, giving us a closer picture of a band than perhaps an official clip does, while obviously presenting them in the best possible light.

Hyphen Hyphen have been getting quite a lot of well-deserved attention, something that shows little sign of abating.

Their debut album Times is expected to be released on September 18 and I suspect that there are hopes they will be one of the breakthrough acts of 2016.