Much like Franz Ferdinand before them, L'Impératrice's goal is to make music for girls to dance to. Their latest, "Danza Marilù" featuring Italian vocalist Fabiana Martone — a preview of their forthcoming record, Pulsar, due June 7 — is "an anthem for women of all ages, for freely moving on the dance floor in spite of looks that may ensue," a press release promises.
The song is sung in duelling Italian and French, but you don't really need to know what Martone and bandleader Flore Benguigui are singing to hear that promise delivered; their annunciated feminine voices are nearly indistinguishable from one another aside from their language discrepancies as they vocalize for a shared purpose (presumably women's empowerment) in perfect sync through the repeated choral — and spiritual — command to dance.
It's an homage to Italo-disco with a distinct French Touch flair, guitars and synths played effortlessly overtop a funk bassline, all with an undercurrent of what one Instagram commenter has aptly dubbed "Pulsar 5555." The album is said to continue bridging genre gaps, with the band blending hip-hop, kosmische and modern pop on its other tracks, with Maggie Rogers and Erick the Architect tapping in for a pair of features. If "Danza Marilù" is indicative of the quality of work to come, we're in for a serious batch of summer bangers this festival season.
