Faucheuse

***"We live in a world where the real and the fake are increasingly blurred. One where we are constantly under surveillance. Our lives scraped, commoditised, monetised. Every element feels like it has been specifically constructed to isolate and atomise, to ferment insecurity and to sow self-doubt. Comme Un Poignard (Like A Dagger) conjures this very unease, a life that feels as if it is bound in chains yet spinning out of control at the same time.

Hailing from Bordeaux, and featuring both current and ex-members of Bombardement, Faucheuse (Reaper) are back with their second full-length and follow-up to 2024’s, Rêve Électrique (Electric Dream). As the title track erupts through the squalling feedback, the band’s trademarks are firmly in evidence—fiercely galloping d-beat riven through with a boisterous rock’n’roll swagger and brimming with buccaneering solos that strut that hazy line where blues and NWOBHM intertwine.

It is though, perhaps, the vocals that remain at the very heart of their sound. Cleanly sung and robustly melodic, they call with equal vigour on both a punk urgency and a rich sense of pop drama. It is a frantically breathless yet tautly crafted ride as they sweep from the scuzzy melodicism of Pacte de Feu (Fire Pact) to the frantically careering Météore (Meteor). Before, Faucheuse throw an unexpected sidestep and bow out with the mournfully cascading organs and hauntingly reflective vocals of Etincelle (Spark)."—Scott (Foundation Vinyl)