Xavier Boyer, the lead singer of Tahiti 80 and one of the most distinctive voices in French indie pop, returns with a melodic and timeless new EP entitled Soda Coda.
After releasing Tutu To Tango (2007, under the name Axe Riverboy) and Some/Any/New (2017), as well as nine studio albums with Tahiti 80, who celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, Xavier Boyer composed five new songs that blend soft rock, folk influences and pop experiments.
"On previous albums, I'd done everything on my own, but this time I was looking for something more lively, more organic, more collective. I also wanted to exchange ideas with other musicians.
This mini-album (the vinyl edition will include five exclusive alternative versions recorded on a 4-track cassette) was created with the help of three emblematic figures from the French music scene, Mehdi Zannad (Fugu, April March, A Girl Called Eddy) on keyboards, Laurent Blot (Le Superhomard) on drums and Stéphane Laporte (Domotic, Egyptology) on mix.
Recorded between tours and studio sessions with his main band, Soda Coda once again confirms Boyer’s talent as a melodist and his appetite for sonic adventures. The power pop of "D Day" or the lyricism of "Children Of The Sun" would not be out of place on albums by Emitt Rhodes or Richard Swift (producer of Tahiti 80's Ballroom in 2014). The Ballad "Oh Liza" is as smooth as an Elliott Smith outtake.
The singer assumes his influences: "My aim has always been to write timeless songs without pretending it's 1975, or 1998. I want my music to be relevant to its time.”
"Read The Room" mixes Jamaican music and avant-garde pop with its crystalline guitars and soaring synths, while "Soda Coda" adds a touch of Soul to the EP with its distorted piano and slap-back vocals.
More than a journey or a nostalgic trip, Soda Coda is a succession of luminous songs, and as Xavier sings on the eponymous track: "I'm singing something good, I can hear this tune lighting up my path".