French duo UTO announce second LP with glitchy electronic/pop hybrid “Art & Life”
French electronic rock/synth pop duo, UTO, announce their upcoming sophomore album, When All We Want To Do Is Be The Fire Part Of Fire, coming via French label InFiné, with the ethereal electronic new single, “Art & Life”.
The follow-up to last year’s glitchy electronica single “Zombie”, on “Art & Life” UTO let the light in, blending candy-coated vocals, pulsating synth lines and dynamic drum rhythms, culminating in an uplifting dance track — think Portishead meets Charli XCX. The lyrics poetically capture an artist’s endless endeavour for creative balance and perfection, “I search for a melody, to repair my search in real life for the right chord I can never find”.
On the single, UTO muse, “Art sustains you and drives you crazy in about equal doses. It gives your life something to hold on to but it is unreliable and destabilising when you are up close. We wander in search of melodies, words and structures to both fill and undo the imperfections of reality, We seek a point of equilibrium, or tranquillity, of meaning, of understanding; of the ultimate union between art & life. But this quest is also a kind of will-o’-the-wisp, a flash in the pan that attracts without satisfying, that illuminates without warming: “Remember when you warned me that chasing a will-o’-the-wisp will consume me before it warms me.””
Due for release 12 April 2024, When All We Want To Do Is Be The Fire Part Of Fire follows UTO’s lauded 2022 debut, Touch The Lock (InFiné). Supported by tastemakers including Electronic Sound, Spectrum Culture, BBC 6Music, Tom Ravenscroft, UTO duo quickly gained a cult following far beyond their native France and cemented their name in the UK alternative electronic/indie scenes since, going on to perform in London and Brighton’s esteemed festival, The Great Escape. And while UTO do have a certain connection with the French electronic pop scene (L’impératrice, La Femme, Agar Agar…), their second studio album marks their first full-length, English language debut.
The outlandish duo excel in colourful electronica and synth-pop, drawing on their love of 90’s UK rock, brit-pop, trip-hop, IDM, pop, electronica, while also nodding to the music that soundtracked those formative gigs in sticky-floored venues during the early 2000’s indie-dance era. Standing out from the crowd with their striking sense of style, offbeat sense of humour and slightly punk attitude, the couple have true sonic synergy — Neysa’s sparkling vocal work sparking similarities to Kim Gordon’s off-kilter vocals, Emile ceremoniously jets through a post-electronica blender mixing stylized indie sleaze productions with 90s breakbeats.
When All We Want To Do Is Be The Fire Part Of Fire is not so much a concept album as an examination of where Neysa May Barnett and Emile Larroche find themselves in their lives in 2024, not only in their own relationship, but also how that relationship is interpreted and perceived in the wider world. With more to be revealed from the duo, the introspective and sonically captivating “Art & Life” sets a high bar for UTO’s anticipated second album, showcasing the pair’s continued evolution in the electronic music landscape.
‘Art & Life’ is out now
