‘Fol Naïs’ (literally “born mad” in old French), is the third album by Lyon-based quartet Ni which is out today December 1, 2023 via Dur et Doux.

Math Rock? Noise? Metal? Jazz? On these 10 new tracks, Ni delights more than ever in blurring the lines and confusing their audience, remaining true to their desire to go further in experimentation. A call to modernity, guitarists Anthony Béard and François Mignot exploit new pedals, driven by a desire for synthesizer-like sounds, deepening their alchemy with the anarchic rhythm section of Benoit Lecomte (bass) and Nicolas Bernollin (drums).

Renowned for their “silly and bouncy” (sic) sound, Ni tried their hand at darker, heavier music on ‘Pantophobie’ (2019), reflecting the period the band was going through.

The bells of ‘Fol Naïs’ sound the hour for a return to faster tempos, but not without affirming an instrumental renewal: “This is the great dilemma for any band: how to successfully carry a legacy from the past while renewing itself? With ‘Fol Naïs,’ we consider it a success in this sense, as it’s an album that doesn’t feel like a rehash of ‘Pantophobie’. ‘Pantophobie’ had run its course, and it was time to react. Re-accelerating the tempo could be the breaking point. We wanted to open even more doors. We wanted to tap into the energy of metal, without having the color of it since we also dipped into old formulas that unify our sound.”

Headline photo: Joan Sabatier

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