NEW INDIE POP: LEMAITRE - HIGHER

Norwegian producer duo Lemaitre take us into orbit, with the crushing bass and lighter-than-air vocals from Maty Noyes

The Oslo-based producers Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund take their name from Georges Lemaitre, who put forward the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory posits that all of creation, and all of the Universe’s mechanisms, derive from nothing, hurtling outward like a grand cosmic pinball machine.

LEMAITRE - HIGHER

Lemaitre apply this principle to Bass Music and club-friendly Pop Music, with thick basslines and catchy vocals, hooky piano chords, and the slightest trace of experimental production flourishes - ghostly orchestral ambiance and a brief drum ‘n bass break in the outro.

In 2017, Club Pop and what-formerly-was-known-as-Dubstep might not seem like much; wobble bass and anthemic vocals might’ve been cutting-edge in 2007, but these sounds can be heard in pretty much any car commercial or Wachowski film. Much like the elements which emerged from The Big Bang, the components may be elementary, but how they are used can allow for some real brilliance. Lemaitre’s production is totally on point, with the bass being nicely yoked to the beat, never overwhelming the mix. The fierce sub-bass makes a perfect launching pad for Maty Noyes’ guest vocals, best known for collaborating with The Weeknd on “Angel."

There’s also a sweet video for “Higher,” showing Noyes being trained to be an assassin, riding a mop like a pony, etc. etc.

LEMAITRE - HIGHER

It’s great stuff! We’ve been digging for a while, at We Are: The Guard, and it sounds as good with the breezy onset of fall as in the sweat and turmoil of summer. Get hipped!

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.