Equateur’s “The Lava” is a trip

by Irene Lo

The influence of 80s inspired synths is immediately heard in The Lava, the latest EP from the French electronic duo Equateur that will be released on May 13^th on Zappruder Recordings. In three original songs and one remix, The Lava presents itself as a product that has been carefully polished and painstakingly fine-tuned. It delivers the thrills of a retro-futuristic landscape that’ll make a big hit for those who dig the idea of combining the building grandeur found in Kavinsky to the moody monotone of Tesla Boy’s Anton Sevidov.

Getting lost in a surrealist dream or being trapped in a bonus level in a video game dream is what the opening song, “The Lava,” invites the listener to get used to for the rest of the EP. With its heavy-as-molasses atmosphere, “The Lava” is hypnotic and engrossing complimented by whispery, mechanical male vocals. Equateur is not making us feel the day-to-day grind and the accompanying emotions that push and pull at us from morning to night, but imaginatively sourced sci-fi pulp universes as a tangible inspiration. The pop nature in “The Lava” remains locked in place, held there by a dark voice quietly saying, “I’ll be the lover on your mind.”

“Ira”, an instrumental track, further explores altered states and realities, shedding a layer of pop sensibility for a progressive melody. Introspective and climatic, it suggests the interest Romain Nouhi and Charles Rocher have in composing feature scores.

Having expressed these ambitions before in interviews, Nouhi and Rocher are highly capable of creating songs for a moment in space and time, where the strength of their songs lies in its immersive quality. “Ira” is a song without a montage. And a music video. “Cheval Noir” works off this same energy that brings to the surface, unconscious instincts and desires. There is an ethereal attitude to “Cheval Noir”, but it remains gritty and metropolitan.

Brazilian electronic band Zemaria’s take on “The Lava”, on the other hand, is warm and vibrant while retaining as much of Equateur’s expansive sense of space in their version. The ominous air is left behind for a fresh and dreamy house number.

Equateur show in The Lava their sci-fi blend of electronic French pop. It’s a trip.

Release date: May 13, 2014