Parbleu’s debut album, Danse Cette Zik, is the easiest way to travel to Italy’s finest beaches. Listening on a flight, the record quickly whisked me away from the plane’s claustrophobic interior to a moonlit beach filled with dancers around a bonfire. Breathy falsetto vocals rang out across the Mediterranean Sea; waves lapped along the shoreline; a funky band jammed to an oceanic backdrop; beautiful people chanting together—an idyllic scene.
Each track sounds warm and well-balanced. Instruments sit comfortably with each other, neatly filling the audio spectrum with rich colors, like a multilayered cake. The heat from each track is curbed by cool vocals that soar over the pulsing percussive section. The falsetto vocals sound light and airy, eliciting feelings of weightlessness despite an otherwise grounded rhythmic section. Rhythmically, each track’s grooves combine elements of afrobeat and disco: warm kicks create the foundation for rattling high hats against a four-on-the-floor groove. The album’s best moments feature jazzy guitars that jingle and slide over funky drums.
Highlighting new artists is risky, as record labels cannot rely on stoking nostalgia from previous listeners to drive sales. Fortunately, Parbleu’s label, Periodica Records, produced a memorable experience and fanbase after releasing Parbleu’s debut record, with Parbleu’s second record released to critical acclaim just three years following Danse. Periodica Records releases music with an old soul, but combines new styles and influences to stay current and interesting. While I appreciate the warm production, catchy melodies, and disco rhythms on Danse Cette Zik, it’s the tropical neapolitan influences mixed with common dance elements that make for a unique and interesting listen.
Please check out Parbleu and the remaining Periodica Records catalog. Other releases have a similar retro appeal that combines nostalgic elements with new and exciting genre fusions and influences. We’ll keep a close eye on future releases: the price tag for an album is low considering the band provides you with a plane ticket to one of the best vacation spots in the world.
– Evan
Edited by: Seán Pierce