Cathedrale (FR)

After a brief meeting while seated on some steps, they chose the name Cathédrale, like the Cathedral of St. Etienne in Toulouse, which stands behind them. This simplicity is reflected in the clarity of their sound: sharp guitars, a driving rhythm, and a touch of pop in the vocals. The Toulouse-based band delivers a post-something kind of music, drawing its influences from English punk as well as American power pop, evoking, among others, Wire, Parquet Courts, the Buzzcocks, and Protomartyr.

Following their first two LPs, recorded in Toulouse by Lo Spider, the quartet decided to cross the Channel to record their third album, Houses Are Built The Same, in London at Haha Sound Studio. Produced by Syd Kemp, the Toulouse band's sound is fleshed out, enriched in textures and arrangements, gaining in breadth and clarity, without sacrificing the immediacy of their earlier work. With the 13 tracks of "Houses Are Built The Same," Cathedrale definitively cements its status as a leading force in an ever-evolving French music scene.