Juillet is the second full length release from Parisian quintet Et Attendant Ana. The album is a solid mix of pop and garage rock that I can imagine lends itself very well to a live setting. For fans of Alvvays, there seems to be some small similarities here, so I would recommend checking this one out.
The Album kicks off quickly as En Attendant Ana gets right to business by hitting listeners with jangly guitars in the first few seconds of ‘Down the Hill’. They pump the brakes during the verse, opting for a softer approach during these sections, but bring the jangle pop energy back in the chorus.
Speaking of energy, we get a pretty emphatic drumroll to open up the following track ‘Do You Understand?’. And this will not be the only time you notice the drumming on this album. Adrien Pollin plays passionately throughout Juillet, and with power too. I usually do not pay attention to the drums on releases such as this, but they were hard to ignore here.
When we get to ‘Flesh or Blood’ I immediately start thinking of summer (how surprising given the album name…) due to the bright and choppy guitars, and smooth and soaring vocals. The use of trumpet on this song is executed very well too, as it is across the rest of the album, for that matter. The trumpet is not used in a bombastic in your face manner, rather as if it was a standard instrument that you would expect to find. Not once does it sound forced, and its utilization helps give Ana an even better and unique sound.
The scaling guitar leads on ‘Enter My Body (Lilith)’ make the track a standout one, and is another nod to the quality put forward by all members of the band on this release. I also want to say that track five (‘From My Bruise To An Island’) and track nine (‘When It Burns’) are much more reserved, predominantly instrumental pieces that provide a nice little break between all the action on this album.
When all is said and done, Juillet is a wonderfully distinct mix of indie pop and garage rock that I can only assume will sound even better once the warmer months roll around. I do not want to get ahead of myself here, but I would not be surprised if this ends up near the top of my 2020 year end list.
Favourite Tracks: In / Out, Flesh or Blood, Enter My Body (Lilith), When It Burns
Genres: #IndiePop, #TweePop, #JanglePop, #GarageRock
Release Date: January 24, 2020