Bootchy Temple – 1.Man With The Cane – 2. Lady Sunshine – 2018 – Howlin’ Banana Records, Paris –
A new band tonight. Well, not really new – they have two previous albums out, and from what I gather they’ve been around since 2015, so it’s three years. They’re getting ready to release Glimpses, their third, and according to sources close to the band, they would like to expand their horizons to include the U.S. – fair enough – come on over!
Bootchy Temple are a French band they formed in Bordeaux in the Southwest of France, but now live in Nanterre near Paris. They consist of; Martin Meilhan-Bordes,Paul Trigoulet, Luc Martin,Sam Roux, Stephane Gillet and Lucas Monnereau.
To get some idea of what people think of the band, here is a review of their second album, Childish Bazar which came out last year, as written up by (sic) Magazine:
According to that famous bible of truth the urban dictionary, a “bootchy” may or may not be a well-endowed Asian woman. Then again, by way of cross-translation, it may mean nothing at all to these five young scamps from Bordeaux, perhaps to them just a collection of sounds free to roam without the weight of semantics. In any case, they often give the impression via their minimal jangle-pop of not having a care in the world, of just drifting along at the edge of life’s rich flow.
Now a shade more melodic and approachable by consequence than on their 2015 debut The Gardener Sleeps In His Golden Bed, Childish Bazar is a gently lilting collection of scrappy indie, almost pastoral acoustic guitars coaxing a light psychedelic swirl out of the beautifully dappled mix. Bookended by two four-minute tracks and with ten in between that come nowhere near, it’s all very laidback, a pleasantly accented vocal bobbing around small crests like a discarded beer can in an outdoor swimming pool.
Blissful and bleary-eyed, “Space Bubble”, for example, tumbles and churns over stoned, soft-play riffs while “The Boy’s Fate” plugs in for a blurry bout of quick-fire shuffles. Behind the charming shambles there’s a tinge of sadness though, simple melodies and simple chords a loose cover for a possible strain of existential malaise, the smile of a track like “Shake Shake Shake” dropping like a mask on the aptly titled “No One’s Face”. We each have our ups and downs, of course, and Bootchy Temple are no different in this regard. Their blasé insouciance to deal with both the highs and the lows that life throws at you, however, is as impressive as their carefree album.
That gives you an idea of what the Press is saying about them overseas. I would urge you to make your own decisions by way of their newly issued singles, culled from the album; Man With The Cane and Lady Sunshine.
I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say they would have a good sized following if they came over and did SXSW or Coachella and did a small tour of venues on the East and West coast of the U.S. – just my opinion. They could also benefit from doing some Radio sessions. I think they have a lot to offer and are one of those bands that, if given the right push in the right direction, could be very successful – as has been evidence many times before.
Check them out and head over to their label, dig in your pockets and grab the other two albums while you’re at it.
Play loud in the meantime.
