NEW ALBUM16-track double-CD digipack

produced by Ryan Morey (Arcade Fire) & Alex Mazarguil (Gentle Republic)

RELEASED 09.09.2013

Effortlessly holding your attention from start to finish, balbec are simply stunningARTROCKER

balbec latest release is already a classic. Sometimescheerful, often dark, always mesmerizing. This new LPshows their mastership at writing and performingexcellent songs. A journey in time and space. TONLIST

There’s no filler on that album. Opener quite literallyexplodes into your ears like an aural orgasm with itsperfect jangly pop and superbly catchy hooks. Thestandard is high from the beginning and it stays thatway to the closing which showcases Isabelle’s vocalsperfectly. Effortlessly holding your attention from startto finish, balbec are simply stunning. ARTROCKER, UK

French power pop in English that really grows on you.It's absolutely AWESOME when the vocals weave inand out triumphantly. By the end it's this mountain-top, wind-torn upbeat pop ballad, and you don't reallyremember how you got there! KSZU, STANFORD, CA

balbec manages to balance quite sophisticated, and attimes genuinely eccentric, structure and arrangements,with infectious melody and hooks - no small task!RYAN MOREY

Parisian outfit balbec’s new record has a feel of acollective, collaborative approach. Guy-gal vocals floatinto counterpart harmonies. Surprisingly inventivepop-rock drums underline the lyrical delivery. If youlike good indie-pop, it might just work! Maybe theFrench are just cooler than us Brits. THE SKINNY, UK

This album does a lot of things for me. The sound isstraight outta Matador Records. It doesn’t try tooverpower you, just makes you want it that muchmore. JOELSHITSHOW

Jaunty power indie pop, with a modern twist. A reallytuneful and fresh sounding record, both hugelyengaging and invigorating. ECHOES AND DUST

balbec summons the tension and outbursts of TheWedding Present’s Seamonsters, which is no smallfeat! VIVA LA POPA

This record oozes genius, absolutely magnificent. Weare overwhelmed by such musical splendor andemotional force. Would make David Gedge green withenvy. A DÉCOUVRIR ABSOLUMENT

The missing link between Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pixies andThe Wedding Present. PARISSI.COM

A truly modern band.SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

International-quality talent.TIME OUT HONG KONG

Moving around somewhere betweenindie-rock and post-pop, balbecentices us into absorbed ponderingsand multiform frenzy. Fed from therich soils of Pavement and Tortoise,bred by the likes of Sebadoh and TheWedding Present, those nomadicarchitects raise an unexpected anddeceptively unsteady building,cemented by seminal inspirationsranging from the Pixies to Mogwai.

Up and about since early 2002, balbeckeeps on discovering new territories asseasons go by. Fancy a journey withthem?

discography

TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY2013 LP

RISE AND FALL OF A DECADE2010 LP

MANUFACTURED2007 EP

BEHIND THE RED CURTAIN2006 LP

FROM MUD TO GOLD2004 LP

INCLUDING PAUSES2003 EP

We need names. Who worked on thealbum, give them a shout-out.balbec is: Gabriel Bareux, StéphaneDonic, Isabelle Ledru, Laurent Pierre,Vincent Lenoir. We're all pretty muchmulti-tasking, so no need to go intomore detail about who does what.Recording and mixing was done by ourbeloved engineer Alex Mazarguil, whoalready worked on our previous LP.Mastering was done in Montréal byRyan Morey, of Arcade Fire and PatrickWatson fame. Cool guy, very pro andpatient, with relevant advice, we reallyclicked. We're much indebted to himfor how the album sounds. Last but notleast, the artwork was made bydesigner Céline Leroy from Paris. It'simpossible not to love her and herdrawings.

Our side is particularly beautiful.We've played your album on repeatand haven't let anyone listen to ityet. Where can our lovely audiencelisten to your side of the story?Go forth and multiply! Downloads ofthe 17 tracks are available everywhere Iguess: iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon.Streaming on soundcloud.com/balbec.Deluxe double CD digipack can bepurchased on balbec.bigcartel.com.

How would you describe your newalbum?Both rich and raw. Seductive butcounter-intuitive. We explored darkersounds. The album is more personal,more detached from past influencesand references.

There's always 'Two Sides To EveryStory', tell us your side.We're French, so I guess our side is thecontinental side of The Channel.Though, our musical background sureis in the UK and US: The WeddingPresent, Pavement, Sebadoh, Mogwai...come to mind. We're releasing adouble album, which is rare nowadays,especially for self-produced bands. Why'Two Sides To Every Story'? Probablybecause we like dualities: truth/myth,peace/violence, smile/tears, guys/girls,yin/yang. Maybe that's why there aretwo composers in balbec. There's notone single interpretation to the world.

This is all getting really confusing.Will we be able to watch you performin 2013? if so, where and when?Nope, we won't be touring this album(unless forced by worldwide populardemand). We have more importantthings to do in our lives thanperforming live in front of unknowns.Anyway, if we do any gig, we'll onlyplay new songs. Even if we are someold fashioned French bourgeois, wehave a punk attitude which pushes usto burn our tracks and jump forward.That's the only fuel for us.

Do you have any other planshappening in 2013? You won't beleaving the country, will you?We're very active and busy writing newstuff. But we won't tell you more. Onestupid idea we have is to build our ownstudio. It won't be Abbey Road but it'sexciting and could bring newopportunities.

When reference is made to balbec, one might get carried away byreminiscences of Marcel Proust and his ever so sensitive keenness,or by the thoughts of a distant oriental city, its exotic ruins andinexhaustible myths. It is then naturally and rightfully deductiblethat wandering introspective reflection is both an underlyingtrademark and an enlightening factor to balbec’s creativity.

A musical project that develops the shared aspirations of fiveunpredictable strollers sauntering from sound to sound, balbecflows indolently, then rushes violently, will digress, go astray,refocus and merge, and shines all the brighter after each meander.

balbec’s tense but luminous work recalls the added forces of fivemultitasking alchemists. Gabriel and Stéphane, perfect case ofopposites’ attraction, fire highly-charged electric guitar lines, whileIsabelle’s voice, swinging from latent lyricism to patent charm,sometimes dances as if over a thin net ready to give way, andmagnifies their whispers and roars. Laurent’s guitar comes toenrich the precious and wild melodies. Depth and pulsation, likesmooth but determined breathing, are brought by Vincent’s andLaurent’s bass backbone. Stéphane and Vincent, in turn, both wrapthe whole in inflammable rhythm layers, keeping their drum kitalways ready to crackle in collective conflagration.

CONTACTcontact@balbec.org

BALBECc/o Stéphane Donic+33 (0)6 07 40 57 68161 avenue d’Italie75013 Paris, France

LISTENsoundcloud.com/balbec

BUYbalbec.bigcartel.com

FOLLOWfb.com/balbec.music

WATCHOde To Joy youtu.be/OA_hJpOKQ-k

THANKS

Alex Mazarguil

Céline Leroy

Ryan Morey