BIBI CLUB
Feu de garde LP
Secret City Records
Summer 2022. A woman sits on a bench on the corner of a nameless street. London, Brighton, Paris, Montreal, a spruce forest — behind her, settings and faces overlap and merge with each other. Some words become distinct among the ambient noise. Where does that voice come from? From what part of the belly or the heart, from which shadowy corner? Who can hear it, welcome it, take care of it? Like the guardians of a fire that is as protective as it is destructive, Bibi Club appear with arms wide open, presenting their second opus, Feu de garde.
Feu de garde is not about devastation. Carefully tended by the bibis, the flames bring light, comfort, life. The embers transmit energy, and their warmth protects us against frostbite as a harsh winter finally comes to an end. Deep in the forest, near a river or beneath the 40 overpass, communal power unfolds in all of its vastness, then bursts into thousands of tiny sparks, into melodies as festive as they are insightful.
Dizzying spells, mysteries and transformations make up the mesmerizing journey that is Feu de garde, which reaches out to those they have met along the way and to the road itself, however dangerous. The duo formed by Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque explore emotional and physical territories, overcoming obstacles with intense, raw yet benevolent radicalism. A former member of the very first exclusively female scout group, the Girl Guides, Adèle reconnects with the values that made her who she is: courage, perseverance, sisterhood, friendship. The years she spent in that community, discovering nature and developing intense relationships, became part of her identity and informed her writing, all the way to the creation of Feu de garde. The influence of Moondog, Stereolab, and, more than ever, Suicide can be heard in the direct, singular approach of the album, which also features group chants inspired by Girl Guide outings in the woods.
During the tour in support of their debut album, Le soleil et la mer, Bibi Club encountered countless challenges. As both artists and parents, they had to handle cliff dives and safe spaces, sleepless nights and cozy games, always as a family. But throughout this human and artistic experience, they fully trust theal process. Life on the road is hardly designed for children, but their strength as a family alleviates all fears.
Harsh things become magical as the duo transforms them into lyrics. The concrete dust that fills the city air turns into bright sparks that rekindle childhood glee. Pushing back the boundaries of genres and letting their creativity run free, Bibi Club fill Feu de garde with relentless rhythms. On stage Adèle grabs percussion instruments and takes risks. Liberated, seductive, undeniable. In the crowd bodies are moving, floating, dancing the night away.
Nonviolent tension drives them. At The Great Escape in Brighton, England, they meet Ali Chant, who has worked with Dry Cleaning, Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey — seminal influences of the duo. A sense of musical sorority, undeniable complicity. Hands are shaken, the flame extends beyond the inner circle, the chosen community grows. Possibilities expand as the group remains focused on the assertive yet powerful minimalism of their inspirations.
Les flammes se croisent et se rassurent (The flames cross and reassure each other)
La braise rougit, elle éclaire ton visage (The embers glow red, lighting up your face)
The profile of a woman from every region multiplies like an echo. Like the thousands of festive people who attended the tour for Le soleil et la mer. Bibi Club won the “Great Hope for 2023” award at the GAMIQ and was nominated in the “Revelation of the Year” category at the Gala de l’ADISQ. Their debut album made it on the prestigious Polaris Music Prize 2023 Longlist, it was included among the best Quebec albums of 2022 according to Le Devoir, and it was raved about by CBC Music, Exclaim!, Cult Magazine and more. On the international front, following praise from Les Inrocks, Tsugi, La Blogothèque, and Magic Magazine, some of their songs were added to the official playlist of France Inter, and the duo was deemed a “discovery” by the magazine Libération: “Minimalist but very well written, this is intimate music in which instruments, noise and (bilingual) vocals are interwoven smoothly, as it dabbles in the world of childhood dreams and games.” The song “Parasite” made its way to BBC 6Music, and both KCRW and The Line of Best Fit found the duo to be among the best Canadian indie artists.
Bibi Club have opened for Blonde Redhead, Patrick Watson, Pomme and November Ultra, in addition to performing in France at MaMA Festival, in England at The Great Escape, in the United States at SXSW, in Wales at Focus Wales, in Brazil, in Germany, and in Canada during a vast summer tour. And the list grows longer every day.
On May 10, 2024, with the release of Feu de garde, joy will outweigh sorrow.
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