Les Discrets' New EP, 'Virée Nocturne,' Is a Chilly Post-Punk Dream

Les Discrets is the work of Fursy Teyssier, a multitalented Frenchman and serial collaborator who created the project back in 2003 in order to express the concepts explored in his own multidimensional artwork. A serial collaborator, Teyssier paints, directs music videos, creates album covers, and also currently serves as a live bassist for neofolk legends Empyrium and live bassist for German goths The Vision Bleak. He was also a member of black metal post-punks Amesoeurs prior to the band's disbanding in 2009, and contributed vocals to Alcest's 2010 masterwork, Écailles de Lune.

He's a busy guy, is what I'm saying, and yet he seems to find ample time to concentrate on Les Discrets. The attention to detail and obvious care that was taken with the songwriting underlines the personal nature of this project; though he's currently joined by several live members (including Alcest drummer Winterhalter and vocalist Audrey Hadorn ), Les Discrets is Teyssier's baby, and on the latest EP, Virée Nocturne, he's allowed it to grow and change. Virée Nocturne serves as a precursor to the band's next full-length, and offers an unexpected glimpse into what's to come.

There's a heavy post-punk influence present, adding an electronic chill to the project's existing inclinations towards dreamy shoegaze and gentle post-rock (I hear some trip-hop in there, too, specifically on the title track). It's an altogether colder sound than we've come to expect from Les Discrets, but it works, and has resulted in the band's most intriguing release to date.

As I noticed when he debuted their upcoming new album, Prédateurs, at this year's Prophecy Fest in Germany, the new material works beautifully in a live setting, too, so perhaps we'll have a tour or two to look forward to this year. For now, listen to Virée Nocturne in its entirety below—it's out today via Prophecy Productions.

Kim Kelly is dreaming of Paris on Twitter.