Aline
Shimmering, guitar-driven French indie pop that feels like a faded summer postcard. Melodic, nostalgic, and perfectly balanced between joy and melancholy.
Shimmering, guitar-driven French indie pop that feels like a faded summer postcard. Melodic, nostalgic, and perfectly balanced between joy and melancholy.
Aline creates a sound that is deeply rooted in the golden era of melodic guitar pop, filtered through a distinctly French lens. Their music is characterized by jangly, chorus-heavy guitars that recall the best of 80s UK indie, paired with Romain Guerret's breathy, emotive vocals. It is music that feels sun-drenched yet slightly overcast, capturing the elusive feeling of 'saudade' in a Gallic context.
What sets them apart is their ability to marry the rhythmic urgency of post-punk with the sophisticated melodicism of French yé-yé and 60s pop. The arrangements are often lush but never cluttered, allowing the interplay between the driving basslines and the shimmering lead guitars to take center stage. There is a timeless quality to their production that avoids the pitfalls of mere retro-pastiche.
Start with 'Regarde le ciel' for the definitive introduction to their sound. It is an album that perfectly encapsulates their ability to write soaring, infectious hooks that still carry a weight of emotional depth. If you enjoy music that feels like a long, reflective walk on a cooling summer evening, this is your soundtrack.
Aline is a French pop-rock band that formed in 2009 under the name Young Michelin. The band had to change their name after the tire company Michelin demanded the change. Originally, the band was made of five musicians based in Marseille: lead singer and rhythm guitarist Romain Guerret, lead guitarist Arnaud Pilard, bass player Romain Leiris, drummer Vincent Pedretti, and keyboard player Laurent Maudoux. When Maudoux left in 2011, he was not replaced, making the band a four-member group. Prior to Young Michelin, Romain Guerret had another music project named Dondolo and had released two albums: Dondolisme in 2007 and Une vie de plaisir dans un monde nouveau, whose release was postponed to 2010. By 2009, Guerret had started the Young Michelin project, which had a number of releases and found great reception. In 2009, their first digital single as Young Michelin ("Je suis fatigué" / "Les Copains") earned them the top award at "CQFD: Ceux qu'il faut découvrir" organized by Les Inrockuptibles. They also released a vinyl EP in 2010 consisting of 4 songs ("Je suis fatigué" / "Elle m'oubliera" / "Obscène" / "Teen Whistle") on the La Bulle Sonore label. In 2011, they released a split EP jointly with Pop at Summer under the title Elle et moi. In 2012, they released another vinyl EP of their own containing 4 songs ("Je bois et puis je danse" / "Hélas" / "Deux hirondelles" / "Je bois et puis je danse (Gambit Mix)"). This latter release was their first as Aline, the ban's new adopted name. Aline's debut album, Regarde le ciel, was released in January 2013 on IDOL/PIAS France label. The album was produced by Jean-Louis Piérot (ex-member of Les Valentins) and recorded and mixed by Philippe Balzé. Laurent Maudoux did not take part in the album, citing "personal reasons". Although the leaving keyboardist was not permanently replaced, Jérémy Monteiro participated in live shows.
Shares nostalgic, bittersweet, melancholic (moods); analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); indie pop, dream pop, new wave (subgenres)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); indie pop, pop rock, dream pop (subgenres)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods)
Shares nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods); indie pop, dream pop, new wave (subgenres)
Shares analog warmth, reverb heavy, studio polished (production style); nostalgic, bittersweet, dreamy (moods)
Shares shimmering, new wave, dream pop, dreamy (signature)
Shares jangly chorus-drenched guitars, britpop, shimmering, dreamy (detail)
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