Bibi Club, the two-piece of Adèle Trottier-Rivard on vocals and keyboard, and Nicolas Basque (Plants and Animals) on guitar, has finally released their follow-up to the fantastic synth rock album Feu de garde, from 2024. But they’ve come back darker with Amaro, a bit more moody and gritty, and the result is nothing shy of enchanting. While I’ve always appreciated the blissful and euphoric vibe of Bibi Club, I’ve always wanted a bit more, something. I guess dancey club gloom was the answer.
We begin with the off-kilter “Infinité,” mixing a layered arpeggiated synth line, drum machine beat and high-pitched longing guitar work. As Trottier-Rivard apologizes for something vague, the next track, the title is set up. This is where the darkness truly takes hold, through a minor-keyed guitar lead and Trottier-Rivard’s ceremonial vocal work. The track almost has a neo-gothic Western vibe with its backing guitar line, but I really can’t get enough of that Castlevania-esque 2D videogame lead, as the real hi-hat and snare mixed with a machine pulls on the dancefloor. “A Different Light” arrives as an English-sung track fusing in what sounds like a cool vocals sample … “waves crashing against the wind.”
“Cérémonie,” feels like a personal exorcism, featuring only chorus-drenched guitars and some light, airy synth runs. “George Sand” has a delicious lo-fi vibe to it, and again, the guitar work sounds evil, but danceably so. There’s also a cinematic saxophone solo by Dimitri Milbrun to lull you from slumber in case you’re getting a bit bored. “Washing Machine” is also sung in English with vocals that kind of put you in a calming state until the song explodes into hypnotic fuzz, but we get a whimsical synth line from Trottier-Rivard to amp up even more anticipation. Amaro is the heaviest Bibi Club has ever sounded, and I’m here for it.
