Label: Self-released
Release date: October 10, 2019
Production: Žiga Jokič
Album length: 43.25 min
Genre: Alternative Rock / Pop
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Le Serpentine are back after four years with a new album, »Pobarvanka«. Its predecessor »Ujemi val« (RockLine review) introduced the band as an ambitious young Slovenian musical outfit from the Kranj area, one that competently dipped its toes into alternative rock waters while happily flirting with groove and the kind of infectious musical momentum that loves to knock on radio’s door.
With the new album »Pobarvanka«, Le Serpentine cement their expressive character and then some. They’re widening their artistic reach, because the new album comes across as much more clearly defined in its musical vision, compared to the somewhat cautious studio debut. The songs on »Pobarvanka« are more polished, more tightly arranged and more complete, as said. In terms of style, they deliver a real leap forward from the debut. The band can especially boast a very good sound production, which drives the character of the songs themselves, deepening the dreamy, atmospheric moods through contrast.
There’s no deep philosophy of composing here. Le Serpentine stick to the “less is more” axiom and try to win the listener over in an instant, with a well-built dynamic of verse – chorus and with musical catchiness. So the band keeps a gripping atmospheric reach, doesn’t get tangled up in complex technical passages or sections that would, through their complexity, rob the songs of their dynamics and the greedy pomp of their momentum. The production is essential and does a great job of coloring the contrasts between the building blocks of the sonic picture and deepening (emphasizing) them. The bass is up front and vividly fills out the low end of the sound, the rhythm is simple, but it drives, often with a danceable swing. Most of the sonic picture belongs to avalanches of guitar phrasing, while the female vocal, sitting in the center, mostly speaks to you in a dreamy way. Although English would suit them better, and it’s easier to handle English in rock too, Le Serpentine devoted special attention to the meter and wove Slovenian very well into the musical character of the new songs.
You can stamp the band with an indie rock label, but also with pop catchiness. The band really trades in repetitions of lead phrases, which, in their drive, don’t hide a flirtation with the shoegaze approach of the eighties, as well as the post-punk of that time. But Le Serpentine, in their vision, work this into the arrangements in a way that lets them create their own musical charisma, which is more than welcome in the Slovenian music scene, since it enriches and artistically fills it out in this way. Surprising, but interesting enough, is the fact that if you like something like Haiku Garden, don’t hesitate for long and check out the new Le Serpentine album too.
The fact that »Pobarvanka« is an extremely listenable album is also proven by the band having put out as many as seven singles from it to this day, and getting a great deal of attention on Slovenian radio, including plenty of rotation on Val 202. It’s not all about wanting to be recognized, you have to be able to deliver real musical substance too. And »Pobarvanka« is a record that has it, while Le Serpentine prove they’re maturing into very skilled arrangers and increasingly convincing tightrope walkers between radio-friendly accessibility and a likable alternative rock attitude, developing an artistry all their own.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Skalca (3:27)
2. JRM (3:43)
3. Črnobel (4:04)
4. Z lahkoto (3:59)
5. Le naprej (3:45)
6. Friends (3:30)
7. Vrtiljak (3:39)
8. Veselja krik (3:56)
9. Majice kratke (3:51)
10. In vse zaspi (3:49)
11. Zadeta od interneta (3:19)
Line-up:
Tjaša Teropšič — vocals
Žiga Jokić — guitar, backing vocals
Matej Naglič — keyboards
Grga Jokić — bass guitar
Anže Kern — drums
