After three years of red tape, Métisse are at last in a position to offer a follow-up to the critical and commercial hit that was My Fault. It is, as you’d expect, charming and intimate – almost to the point that the listener feels intrusive, and as before, the job description is Nightmares On Wax in aspect, loungy French (Côte d’Ivoire) schmooze in application. Aida Bredou’s new age-style lyrics and vocals dominate the soulful electronica of tracks like ‘World Of Our Own’ and the stunning ‘Journey To Oasis’ bringing a sensuous groove to the table.
‘Nomah’s Land’ and ‘In A Way’ in particular show a stubborn adherence to the style and sound that many have left behind since its initial popularity exploded in the ‘90s, but which nonetheless suit this particular group so well as to manage to be interesting and innovative. If anything Skully’s mastery of the synth sound will draw the attention of a whole new audience now that artificial sound is enjoying a revival.
Commercial success is something Métisse can probably take for granted, as almost half of their first album was co-opted for TV and film including The Bill, the Madonna vehicle The Next Best Thing and the RTE news, amongst other more glamorous projects. ‘Nomah’s Land’, named after the recent addition to their family, has already been earmarked by MGM to feature on an episode of the dark and funny Dead Like Me. If all else fails, Métisse could easily quit the biz and make songs for TV full-time.
Meanwhile the couple promise a remix album later in the year, including the already legendary Freq Nasty mix of ‘Sousounde’ and that which I cannot fathom, a Métisse remix of Horslips’ ‘An Dearg Doom’.