Charles de Boisseguin and his L’Impératrice band will release their debut album, Matahari, next month—”kind of a tribute to the night in its nocturnal way. We really tried to create an atmosphere of the night,” he says. 

Boisseguin started the band as a solo project but over the years it has blossomed into a six-piece that’s now crafted a seamless collection of French electro-pop disco songs for their debut. 

If the album has an air of that French charm it’s not only because of the band members’ nationality but also because of the surroundings Boisseguin grew up in—being born in Paris but growing up near Versailles, in St Germain en Laye. “This city has played a role in our musical style because of all the artists who emerged from there: Air, Phoenix, Etienne de Crécy, Alex Gopher, and Daft Punk. They created what we know as the French Touch, which I grew up with as a kid,” he explains. 

Whilst the album succeeds in capturing a nocturnal quality—its shimmering synthesisers and dancefloor-ready grooves scream nightclub—and a feeling of coming to life, it also possesses a radiating pop essence that seems to exist outside of a time and place—where night creeps into morning and the day soon bleeds back into night.  

We’re told that the album shifts between the tone of a long-lost 1970s disco masterpiece and a futuristic exploration of electronic pop. The band claims that “albums that sold 500 copies in the 1970s are the records that interest us most,” but we’re told to expect a debut destined for much wider appeal. 

Matahari lands April 12 via Microqlima, and in support of the release you can download “Some Paradise” in full via the WeTransfer button below, or here for EU readers due to temporary GDPR restrictions. 

L’Impératrice will perform on May 2 in London, with information and tickets here.