Marie Davidson will debut a “bold new sound” with a new album as part of Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu.

Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu is formed of three long-time friends with shared roots in Montreal, Canada’s music scene: Davidson plus Pierre Guerineau and Asaël R. Robitaille.

It’s a reaction to the touring that followed Davidson’s breakout 2018 album, Working Class Woman, navigating the club and festival lifestyle, often alone, always with her case of instruments and cables in tow. This eventually led her to quit touring altogether last year. The album title, alongside the artwork, with its three versions of Davidson, are nods to these difficult experiences.

As Davidson eyed up the end of the tour, she craved the camaraderie of making music with people she knew best and so called Robitaille and Guerineau about an idea they’d come up with the previous year: to make music inspired by pop, such as the iconic work of French singer Mylène Farmer. Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu was born, with Davidson as the group’s front-woman, lyrics-writer, and synth player. The sound and arrangement, meanwhile, is led by Robitaille and Guerineau.

We’re told to expect a “forward-facing, innovative pop record” that builds on the classic tenets of Davidson’s music to create something that “strikes out towards a broader audience.” It contains dark humour and interpolated musical influences, from Fleetwood Mac to Kraftwerk, and jazz classics such as Billie Holiday and Chet Baker.

“We wanted to make songs, like the music we’ve been enjoying altogether for more than a decade,” Davidson explains.

The album lands on Ninja Tune, where Davidson put out Working Class Woman.

Tracklisting

01. Renegade Breakdown
02. Back To Rock
03. Worst Comes To Worst
04. Center Of The World (Kotti Blues)
05. La Ronde
06. C’est parce que j’m’en fous
07. Just In My Head
08. Lead Sister
09. My Love
10. Sentiment

Renegade Breakdown LP is scheduled for September 25 release on Ninja Tune. Meanwhile, you can stream “Renegade Breakdown” below and pre-order the album here.