Yelle Find Dance-Pop Bliss on Sophomore Album

By: Pam Nashel Leto

French dance-pop purveyors Yelle return with their long awaited second album, the exotically addictive Safari Disco Club (March 29th; Cooperative USA/Downtown Music). Adding depth and experience to the sweet & sour pop cocktail found on their acclaimed 2007 debut Pop-Up, Yelle find themselves in a more reflective mood and have learned a few new tricks during their time off. The band have been keeping busy – they covered Robyn’s “Who’s That Girl” as part of the iTunes international exchange, and she covered their track “A Cause Des Garçons” in return. They were also were asked by Katy Perry to remix her hit single “Hot n Cold” which has led to them supporting her UK tour in April.
Yelle is fronted and named by Yelle, nee Julie Budet, a sparky gamine with a deceptively demure schoolgirl voice. Joined by producers GrandMarnier (Jean-Francois Perrier) and Tepr (Tanguy Destable), Yelle first arrived amid a flurry of 80’s inspired pop, with the likes of CSS and New Young Pony Club all revered for their take on brightly colored electro. Pop-Up stood out from the crowd with its wry, frothy and unashamedly fun outlook. This infectious appeal not only led to work with Robyn and Katy Perry, but gained them fans in fellow musicians such as M.I.A. and Mika, as well as mainstream personalities like Perez Hilton and Jessica Alba.

The new album’s first single and title track “Safari Disco Club”(which premiered on RCRBLBL this morning), starts with Yelle’s signature bubblegum pop, but soon shifts into a darker sound with a sweeping synth backed by moody dancehall beats. It signals that the innocent and fun part of the party has moved into a more wild and chaotic scene, as Yelle sings over the madness “The animals all dance in the safari disco club”.
If Pop-Up was a breakout set of fun-loving bawdy pop, Safari Disco Club is it’s sharper, wiser sibling. Sonically deeper, multi-layered, and emotionally more diverse, it defines Yelle’s style and elevates them beyond any particular scenes to find a unique pop voice. It’s an album that takes us on a captivating journey, with as much ingenuity, beauty and mystery as Pop-Up had sparkle and fun.

Click HERE to Download First Single “Safari Disco Club”