"We are focussing on Her Tape No.1. It begins by talking about the dreaming, the lust for a woman, and that's our track 'Quite Like'. Then you have the love encounter with 'Five Minutes'," reveals Her's Victor Solf, as co-founder and fellow band leader Simon Carpentier nods in agreement. "Then you have the experience of missing someone in 'Her', and finally you have the wedding in 'Union'."
This love story EP has won a lot of hearts in France since the Rennes-based band released it on vinyl through a French indie last month. However, their first ever digital release was 'Quite Like' in April. Although the full EP isn't out digitally yet, Soundcloud streams have hit over a quarter of a million across their two releases, and plays have largely come from the UK and the US.
"There are a lot of big labels interested in working with us at the moment," reveals Simon. His statement comes as no surprise - from the moment I heard the seductive soulful groove of 'Quite Like', it was obvious there's something truly special about this band. My suspicions that they'd have what it takes live too were confirmed last night, as I watched them give a performance of a lifetime at packed converted airplane hangar - it was their homecoming show and part of the Trans Musicales festival.
Today, they appear similarly to how they were on stage - with matching suits, clean shaven, and swept back hair - and they relax in the press area to talk to me before doing a radio session. Knowing my unmistakable British accent they are keen to talk about where I'm from.
"We played a show in London recently, a showcase, at the Old Blue Last, and it was really packed," states Victor. "We really connect with the British crowd with our lyrics, sometime more so than we do with our French audience. Certain metaphors don't get the same reaction here as they do there."
Her also sing entirely in English, and their pronunciation in song (they're very French when they talk) doesn't give away their nationality at all. Consequently, a lot of people even mistake them for a British band. Even as I'm speaking with them in the press area, a French woman comes up and says, "Great show last night." Victor and Simon giggle: "She thinkswe are from England! That happened at The Old Blue too, when someone heard us speaking in French after the show, he couldn't believe it!" they tell me.
On the surface, I could be guided into thinking that them singing in English without any trace of French is a rejection of their national identity. However, so much about them is very French, I mean they're expressing themselves and celebrating love without hiding it in metaphor for one - 'I quite like your lips, 'I quite like your eyes / I quite like your breast/ When you undress' - form just some of their sultry lyrics.
Also, the reason they sound the way they do is that their musical influences come from English speaking bands, so it's just natural for them to sound as they do. "At the moment I love Kendrick Lamar, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Alabama Shakes," reveals Victor. But you sound more like Jungle I say to them. "Jungle are definitely an influence on us," he replies.
"We saw them at this festival two years ago and we have the same influences as them. We do soul music. i.e. Al Green and Shuggie Otis and mix it with more minimal music like James Blake, Jamie XX or FKA Twigs, but our vocals are completely different to them," adds Simon.
The ambitious sound that they mentioned is a tasteful appropriation and they execute it with sublime quality. Her are a band who've carefully thought out every single step of what they're doing and waited until the time is right to launch themselves.
"We spent a long time choosing the right name, the right song, the right logo," says Simon. "It also takes a long time to do our songs. At the beginning we compose everything with computers , there is nothing organic in it.After we record it again with live instruments everything live in the same room. We recorded 18 songs in four days like the old days."
By writing every aspect of the sound themselves and not allowing too many individuals to pull it in different directions, the result is certainly concise and true to the mood, feel, and soul of what they're trying to create and their working relationship is evidently going from strength to strength.
Talking to Victor and Simon is like to talking to two brothers, they feel very close. Unsurprisingly, they've known each other for a while - they actually started playing in bands together when they were still at school and formed The Poppoppos. The band were fairly well known in France and on evidence of their Youtube videos, they had a decent following. But Her are on another level creatively and are definitely ready to take on the world.
For more information on Her, find them on:
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