Apres La Nuit - 2025 - Aller-Retour

(53:41; Echozone)






















Track list:
1. Save Your Soul 4:57
2. Life and Lies 4:26
3. Une Cité Sans Gaieté 4:13
4. Le Compromis 4:09
5. Ciao Ma Belle 3:33
6. You Will Find a Way 3:32
7. Une Cité Sans Gaieté [Electro] 4:06
8. CJB25 3:17
9. Elise 3:46
10. Rêve 3:35
11. In the Name Of (v3.0) 3:25
12. Take a Vow 4:16
13. Save Your Soul [The Mental Club Mix] 6:26

Line-up:
Richard Abdeni - instruments, vocals
Marilyne Jallad - vocals


US based venture Apres La Nuit has been releasing material at a steady pace ever since their initial EP "Mon Amour"  that appeared back in 2021, and as of 2026 this project has a total of 9 releases to their name. The most recent of these is the full length album "Aller-Retour", which was released through German label Echozone in the fall of 2025.

If there is something that can be called industrial synth pop, then I suspect that this album comes pretty close to it at times. Where the synth pop as well as the industrial elements, while toned down, are still very much present. 

Some of the details in the songs can remind just a little bit about the calmer side of a band such as Erasure, while the mood, tempo and atmosphere often strikes me as being more in line with early days Depeche Mode. We get cold and at times spirited light toned synthesizers textures on top that adds a little bit of a techno and EBM feel to these creations, while the synth bass add rhythms that tend to have more of an industrial feel with steady going patterns and a firm and sometime dominant and then also captivating hardness and tempo. And as a little bit of a shadow along the way, I could hear where influential bands such as Kraftwerk and to a lesser extent Tangerine Dream may be described as if not a direct influence then at least an indirect one.

Personally I found the more spirited and expressive songs the most intriguing, where the vocals will use more of a dark delivery if not in full then at least in part, and where the arrangements and developments tend to be more on the expressive side of manners. We also get several songs that are more simplistic in general nature, often slower in pace and generally calmer in expression. With examples and instances of songs with both a melancholic and mournful mood and atmosphere very much present.

Those who might be drawn to descriptions such as expansive synth pop or synth pop oriented industrial electronic music might feel the landscapes explored here to be generally interesting. And I wouldn't be all that surprised if people who generally enjoy early days Depeche Mode in particular might find this album interesting, even if it is at times very different from what that band used to create back in the day.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2026

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/ApreslaNuit
https://www.echozone.de/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ken Field - 2024 - The Canopy

Image
(30:19; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. The Serving 2:24 2. Also Known As 1:49 3. Laevinic Defeat 1:43 4. Culture 4:46 5. Four Words 1:41 6. Mirror 3:06 7. Day by Day 3:24 8. Deluge 3:55 9. Darkness into Light 7:31 Line-up: Ken Field - all instruments US composer and musician Ken Field is a veteran in US music circles, with tenures in bands exploring the fields of world music, jazz and progressive rock in his resume, as well as composing music for television shows. In addition he has been active as a solo artist since the middle of the 1990s, with more than a dozen albums to his name as of 2024. "The Canopy" is his latest studio album, and was released by US label Neuma Records in the fall of 2024. The music on this album was commissioned for a dance performance, where the topic of the performance were expressions of loss, love and resilience. These are emotions that all shine through in these compositions too, and besides the emotional resonances that comes with the different ...
Read more

King Sable: Nothing But The Truth (2024) - mini-review

Image
Swiss band King Sable are out with the album "Nothing But The Truth", and metal is the style explored on this production. The core foundation of this band is what I'd describe as a more contemporary take on the traditional heavy metal form, with a nice array of chugging guitar riffs and galloping riff and rhythm constellations being something of a mainstay. More distinct staccato riff and rhythm arrangements expand the boundaries somewhat though, and along with that we have the combination of more controlled and melodic lead vocals with a bit of a talk like mode of delivery alternating with more aggressive vocal displays that have a stronger attachment to the hardcore tradition. With liberal use of guitar solo overlays that adds a more distinct melodic touch to the proceedings that offset and contrast with the more aggro sometime vocal displays. An album to seek out by those who find the notion of melodic heavy metal seasoned with a bit of hardcore aggression to be an int...
Read more

Kenneth Roy - 2020 - Chairman

Image
(39:34; Physico Records) Track list: 1. Chairman 3:32 2. Two of a Kind 3:33 3. Let Your Love Come Down 3:19 4. In the Night 5:10 5. Think I'll Stay in the City Tonight 5:06 6. After Dawn 3:46 7. Empty Heart 3:41 8. I Still Love You So 3:21 9. Our Love Will Last 3:54 10. Close Enough to Know 4:12 Line-up: Kenneth Roy - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, melodica, effects Doctor Ryman - guitars, drums, bass, arrangements, effects with: Baron Chase - bass Richard Howell - saxophones, arrangements Geechi Taylor - trumpet Danny Armstrong - trombone Veteran US artist Kenneth Roy has been around for the last three decades or thereabouts, but as I haven't been able to trace just how many albums he has released over the years I don't know how productive he has been over the years. The album "Chairman" dates back to 2020, and appears to be the most recent of his excursions as a solo artist. I was fairly impressed with this album when I gave it a more superf...
Read more