Charlène Darling – La Porte [IMPORT] – New LP

An exploration of misplaced desire and all-consuming romantic obsession, told through a series of beautifully constructed leftfield pop songs. La Porte, the second studio album by Charlotte Kouklia aka Charlène Darling, finds the artist and her group building a self-contained musical world via French and English language vocals, and a minimalist backing of guitar, organ, bass and drums.

At times recalling the feminist post-punk of The Raincoats, the avant songcraft of Brigitte Fontaine, or the psychedelic vignettes of Cate Le Bon, in truth Charlène Darling sounds like herself. The arrangements are playfully experimental, dubbed out percussion bubbling over the stripped back instrumentation, or rough tape edits disrupting lush harmonies, but never losing sight of the earworm hooks that make these songs so addictively listenable. Step through the door and walk right in.

Charlotte is one quarter of the band Rose Mercie. After a beguiling series of DIY tape and CD-R releases, her first widely distributed solo album, Saint-Guidon, was released in 2019.  This album La Porte released November 3, 2023

An album recorded, arranged & mixed with Valentin Noiret
& the Charlène Darling groupe :

Charlotte Kouklia (vocals, guitar, synths)
Erika Ratti (tape loops, harmonies & synths)
Quentin Chevalier (drums, percussions & synths)
Regis Turner (bass, synths)

With very special guests :
Romain De Ferron (guitar)
Luca Retraite (synths, guitar, « male » voice)
et Gianlorenzo Nardi on "Le Fleuve"

Mastered by Mikey Young <3

Artwork by Studio Tape-Echo
Cover picture : Gaëlle Leenhardt
Vignettes : Ariane Kiks
Label images : Félix Lheureux

All songs written by Charlotte except:
- "Au fleuve" by TG Gondard
- "La chanson du regard" by Leda Valladares, translated from Spanish.

"Abril Terra" includes a reference to the irish traditional "She moved through the fair"

"Tout s’efface" holds a 3-line quote of an unreleased song of Gaston Pelouse.