Curiosities

Nouvelle Vague has always operated on a brilliant contradiction: taking the jagged, often nihilistic energy of 1980s post-punk and new wave and filtering it through the sun-drenched, sophisticated lens of 1960s bossa nova. Curiosities serves as a fascinating peek behind the curtain of this process. As a collection of rarities, B-sides, and unreleased versions, it lacks the high-gloss finish of their major studio albums, but it gains a profound sense of intimacy and vulnerability. It sounds like a private rehearsal in a Parisian apartment, where the ghosts of Ian Curtis and Robert Smith are invited for tea and a quiet dance.

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