Friture's six-track EP captures the elements of bedroom recording that have given the genre its honourable name. Carnet de Synthé was made using a multitrack recorder and is centred around a Casiotone 405. The EP also features some transnational collaboration, with our very own Al Montfort complementing the nostalgic Casio tones with saxophone on the opening track titled ‘Polyester’. 

Yohan Future, the mastermind behind Friture, is the first to admit that this project is hard to pin to a singular genre, telling us Friture is 'too weird to be called pop music but not weird enough to be labelled differently'. This sums up Carnet de Synthé pretty well, and is perfectly demonstrated on the EP’s first single ‘Polyester’. The bass and drum machine underpin the track, providing a driving rhythm section that, along with the high-toned keys, gives the EP an upbeat energy. Friture's keyboard riffs and Montfort's saxophone lines contribute to this energy and give ‘Polyester’ a nostalgic and almost chaotic feel. The stripped-back instrumentation gives ample space for the vocals to shine through. Friture's vocals are, for lack of a better word, very French - the straight-forward melodies and catchy chorus lines are reminiscent of 60's and 80's French pop. All of these elements combine harmoniously to create Friture's distinct and charming melancholic-pop-post-punk-new-wave sound.

Carnet de Synthé also covers some serious thematic ground. Across the EP, Friture offers us meditations on prescient topics like consumerism, family and coming to terms with mortality. Overall, the lyrics are contemplative of both personal and contemporary issues. Non-French speakers need not despair! We had the pleasure of picking Friture's brain and diving deeper into the tracks on the new release.

Polyester

This is a song about child labour and most of my clothes being made in Bangladesh or Asia. I knew where and how cheap clothes were made but when I fully realised it I felt really bad and I didn't buy clothes ever since. At least not new ones. I'll have to get some eventually so I should start thinking about it. I like the contrast between a both depressing and danceable song. Al Montfort did that great sax part from half the song until then end. I wanted the tension to grow with a part that'd be a bit off and wild compared to the steadiness of the drum machine and the synth part. I love what he did.

Désapé


This song sounds a bit like 80's French pop music. I listened to Elli and Jacno a lot over the past couple years so I guess it has had some influence on me. It's about the occupation of space and the gap between what men and women can do in the public space. I came up with the lyrics after I went to a gig on a Friday night. The show was great but there were a few loud guys dancing with their shirts off, sweating, physically taking a lot of space and not paying attention to the rest of the audience. It upset me a bit and got me to think that women would probably want to take their shirts off in public when they're too hot but can't or there's 100% chances they will be abused.

La Question Qui Tue

I came up with the lyrics when my then three-year-old son kept asking about death, what could he do not to be dead, said he didn't want us to die, etc... He was very worried about it. It's pretty normal at that age but it was a bit overwhelming. Then it became a song. I realised not long ago that the little synth gimmick sounds a bit like something I might have heard in a Total Control song. Sorry guys if I ripped you off a little bit. When my ten-year-old son heard the song, he burst out laughing because he remembered the countless times his little brother asked us about death.

Les Plages De Tes Vacances

This is a poppy song but the lyrics are awful. They start with the memory of a three-year-old boy, Alan Kurdi, who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on September 2nd 2015 while his family was trying to flee the Syrian civil war and reach Greece. The picture of this little boy, face down on the beach was widely published and commented on. The politicians did very emotional and determined speeches about the migrants' situation, but in reality too little happened because nobody wanted to take unpopular decisions especially when you can feel the far-right breathing down your neck and the election is so close. Rescue boats were often denied permission to berth, etc... So it's about what's happening in the very same sea people go spend their holidays to.

Clair Obscur

Clair-obscur means chiaroscuro in English. I think it mostly refers to light and shade but I thought it could also reflect moods. It's about looking for quiet and loneliness, at times, and telling people that I'm not mad, I just like to be alone a little bit. It's the song I've worked on the most. It probably has too many different parts and it isn't as poppy as other tracks but I was really happy to finish it on time.

J'entends Tout

It's about a kid who's in bed and hears his parents arguing. It feels to him like it's lasting forever, he doesn't remember how it started and he's pretty sure they don't either. He's mad at them and just wants them to shut the fuck up. It's a pretty universal song, I mean, everyone has heard their parents arguing at least once and has suffered from it. I'm very shy about this one and I wasn't sure I wanted it to be on the tape as I wrote this after my girlfriend and I had an argument. We could see the kids were not having a good time but could not put an end to it. I was mad at us, still am.

Thanks for having me and sorry the lyrics are so dark.