Melody’s Echo Chamber, aka French musician Melody Prochet, today announces her fourth studio album, Unclouded - due for release on December 5th via Domino.
Unclouded sees Melody’s Echo Chamber embarking on a life-affirming new chapter. The title of the album was lifted from a quote from the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, about achieving equilibrium: "You must see with eyes unclouded by hate. See the good in that which is evil, and the evil in that which is good. Pledge yourself to neither side".
Metaphorical dark skies have given way to sunshine… at least for now. “I used to feel nostalgic growing into adulthood,” Melody says, “but now that I understand that concept of impermanence, I don’t take it as personally anymore.” That brighter outlook is reflected in the record’s delectable grooves as much as its more earthbound lyrics - the instinct to escape has been replaced by a sense of being with nature in the present.
Today’s announcement arrives alongside the release of psych soul new single “In The Stars”; it’s a song of perfect balances, from the close harmonies from Melody to the scintillating interaction between the guitar and strings. It arrives alongside a dreamy and hazy video by long term collaborator, Diane Sagnier.
Watch the video for “In The Stars” here.
Listen to “In The Stars” here.
“The music I create unusually inhabits the liminal zone between realism and fables,” says Melody. “But the more experience I have of living, the deeper I love life and the less I need to escape. If my heart still belongs to the blue hour, it also feels like I’ve gathered upall the pieces of myself that were scattered everywhere and glued them together with gold like Japanese kintsugi.” (Kintsugi is a Japanese art where broken pottery is put back together with gold or silver lacquer).
Unclouded’s impressive cast includes Swedish maestro Sven Wunder (Danny Brown) who co-produced the record and contributed to the writing, bringing his unique sonic palette to the richly-textured canvas; Josefin Runsteen on strings, who brings her avant-garde smarts to the tableau; Dina Ögon’s Daniel Ögen on guitar and Love Orsan on bass who Melody describes as “masters of the velvet groove”; British drummer Malcolm Catto, collaborator with Madlib and DJ Shadow, and the powerhouse behind The Heliocentrics; frequent collaborator Reine Fiske (of Dungen) who laid down some stunning, Johnny Marr-esque guitar parts that can be found throughout the record.
Last but not least, Leon Michels - the Wu-Tang, The Carters, Norah Jones and Clairo collaborator - worked with Melody on the album’s closer and recently released single “Daisy”, a sparkling pop song plucked from the ether. El Michels Affair’s Grammy-winning mixer Jens Jungkurth, was drafted in to bring everything to life.
Unclouded is brimming with the positive energy that propelled Prochet across the world on Melody Echo Chamber’s lauded “comeback” tour of 2022. On returning to the Alps of High Provence, she began writing in earnest. What inspired her? “My deeper love for the living experience,” she says. “I still get ups and downs but I’m faster at getting back to more harmonious feelings, enjoying the beauty of transient things and the bittersweet feeling of their impermanence.”
Alongside today’s album announce, Melody’s Echo Chamber also announces a Spring 2026 world tour which includes a date at London’s Electric Ballroom on 21st April. Tickets go on artist pre-sale on 1st October @ 10 AM local time. On 2nd October, the Spotify pre-sale starts at 9 AM UK / 10 AM EU / 10 AM local time for North America. Tickets go on general sale on 3rd October at 3 PM local time. Full list of dates can be found below.
Live dates
- 14th April – Lido, Berlin, DE
- 15th April - VEGA, Copenhagen, DK
- 17th April – Botanique, Orangerie, Brussels, BE
- 18th April – Gebäude 9, Cologne, DE
- 19th April – Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam, NL
- 21st April – Electric Ballroom, London, UK
- 22nd April – L’Aéronef, Lille, FR
- 23rd April – Le Trianon, Paris, FR
- 24th April – Stereolux, Nantes, FR
- 25th April – Le 106, Rouen, FR
- 9th May – TBA, Austin, US
- 11th May – Thalia Hall, Chicago, US
- 12th May – Black Cat, Washington DC, US
- 13th May – Union Transfer, Philadelphia, US
- 14th May – Royale, Boston, US
- 15th May – Webster Hall, New York, US
- 17th May – TBA, Salt Lake City, US
- 19th May – Belasco, Los Angeles, US
- 20th May – Bimbo’s 365, San Francisco, US
- 22nd May – Revolution Hall, Portland, US
- 23rd May – The Crocodile, Seattle, US