the new album from Hørd. After discovering this project around 2020 thanks to my algorithm, which was geared towards dark and electronic music, it was of course an honor that its sole mastermind, Sébastien Carl, called upon my services. Especially to champion his prodigious, moving, and addictive Bluestar. This 5th LP is none other than the first release on his own newly created label, Paragon Recordings. It's the continuation of the constant evolution of this solo project, active for over 10 years and marked by numerous tours in France and Europe. I like to summarize this one as: darkwave more like lightwave. Recorded and mixed by Sébastien, the mastering was entrusted to Italian sound engineer Maurizio Baggio, renowned for his work with Avant! Records, Messa, Boy Harsher, and Kontravoid, among others. The music is hazy, introspective, and impactful all at once. I've been completely hooked for the past three months, and I highly recommend it to fans of The Soft Moon, Hante., Sure, or Cold Cave.
Across these 9 tracks, Hørd's music has never sounded so luminous, even comforting at times. Yet, we can still detect a bit of post-punk here, a bit of EBM there, and always a touch of goth. Bluestar sees the Bordeaux-based composer and videographer getting more to the heart of the matter in terms of composition, while more willingly highlighting his work on atmospheric phases. This doesn't prevent him from incorporating as many up-tempo beats, evoking new wave and techno, as others that are heavier and more industrial. Nevertheless, this album contains a beauty and a softness that, until now, had only barely been scratched. A sound corpus born from a completely artisanal approach, driven by experimentation and technical progress in synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines.
Named after the product used to detect blood stains with blue light at crime scenes, Bluestar calls for revealing what lies beneath appearances. Sébastien's lyrics encourage the imagination while leading a deep and adult reflection on life and what it can hide. More prominent than ever on this new album, his voice addresses fictional tales evoking themes such as grief, love, absence, climate change, and even the disappearance of humanity.
Bluestar is now available on digital at your favorite streaming platform, page on Hørd’s Bandcamp page, but also its Youtube channel: