La Sécurité – Stay Safe!

If your musical comfort zone lies somewhere in between Siouxsie and the Banshees, Devo, and Le Tigre, then La Sécurité will make you feel safe – quite safe indeed. This five-piece outfit from Montreal is a nod to classic new-wave/post-punk acts of the 1980’s, but they keep things sharp with a progressive genre-bending sound and some biting social commentary to boot. With their debut full-length release, Stay Safe!, La Sécurité have delivered a solid set of songs that will have you singing, crying, and dancing, in equal measure.

From the opening number, ‘Le Kick’, La Sécurité commands your attention. The track’s hypnotic rhythm, laid down by Félix Bélisle on bass and Kenneth David Smith on drums,  perfectly underscores Éliane Viens-Synnott dry and deadpan vocals – sometimes in English, sometimes French – setting the tone for much of what is to follow. One of the highlights is the utterly catchy ‘Suspens’, released as a single last year, which is a welcome addition here.

The angular guitar and melodic synth work of Melissa Di Menna and Laurence Anne Charest-Gagné all contribute to the album’s raw and infectious energy. As the album progresses, tracks like ‘K9’ and ‘Sleep Rebellion’ showcase the band’s versatility, with more synth-pop and shoegaze textures to be found in the former, and a dark and disco inspired groove in the latter. A triumphant and fun release for sure.