After two acclaimed EPs (Her Tape #1 and #2), the French duo Her finally released their first album. Upset by the death of his half, Victor Solf had to finish it alone.
In 2015, Five Minutes is the title that triggers everything for Her, a new transparent soul duo of femininity and feminism. Childhood friends from Rennes, Victor Solf and Simon Carpentier became one of the most promising groups on the French scene. Unfortunately, the duo is cut clean in its ascent. Suffering from cancer for many years, Simon tragically passed away last August. Since then, Victor has been working on their almost finished first album, arriving at a stunning result.
Named simply Her, this album tells the story of Her: a broken destiny on the rise. We Choose, the very first song composed by the two friends, opens the album. The lyrics are already evocative: we start with " We choose how we will be remembered" and end with "I think we could do anything, our wings are broken but we will continue to hover".
It's no longer Her that we listen to, it's Him
Good Night and For Him close the album. About Good Night, Victor explains: "This hopeful song is about illness and life but especially not about death." Indeed, the lyrics are meant to be reassuring: "Do not lose hope, it is time to defend yourself".
While paying a strong tribute to his late musical double, Victor moves forward. Between soul, pop, r&b, rock and even disco, he continues his path as if his best friend was always by his side. Among the twelve tracks of the album, we find the essential titles of the group, those that made its success. Blossom Roses, Swim, Five Minutes and Quite Like then garnish the cake with a déjà vu more than pleasant.
However, for this first eponymous album, Her is not limited to that.On & On, featuring prestigious Belgian rapper Romeo Elvis and German Henning May, is a subtle and sublime compendium of genres. want to Be You, dancing and neat disco anthem, stays in mind for a very long time, which is far from displeasing us. Finally, on Icarus, the only track Victor worked on without Simon, a lively and fresh energy is felt, in the same way as on the single Neighborhood.
In addition to proving the talent of the duo, this first album becomes a strong tribute to Simon Carpentier. It's no longer Her that we listen to, it's Him, who we would have hoped to see live longer. On the back of the album cover, we can read "In memory of Simon Carpentier, may this album be a testament of the great artist that you are". One thing is for sure, this is one of the best albums of 2018 to date.
8,5/10
Listen:
On & On, want to Be You, Good Night
Her, Her's self-titled debut album, will be released on March 30 on the Barclay label.
The band will be performing at the Chorus festival on April 7 and at the Olympia on April 25.
