Ça v aller by Pays P.
Vinyl/streaming release date: September 10, 2021
Bandcamp release date: August 1, 2021
Tracklist:
1. 3h et des personnes
2. Olatunji
3. Corps vs Coeur
4. Fureur
5. Vassili voir
6. Laca de lacanal
7. Ça v aller
Michael Jaworski from the Brooklyn band SAVAK and Peculiar Works label describes meeting Pays P. a few years ago and what inspired them to work together:
SAVAK met Pays P. on tour in Paris in November of 2018. The bands played together in a basement venue that was so hot the walls and floors were literally dripping with sweat after the show. Sohrab and I felt an instant connection with the band as they generously prepared and shared an amazing pre-show dinner of Ratatouille and couscous with us.
It was one of those magical nights on tour where everyone was having fun, reconnecting with old friends while meeting new ones in a delightfully Parisian corner bar that had a small venue space in the basement. Sohrab and I made our way through the crowd that had crammed into the downstairs room to watch Pays P.’s set. It’s always exciting to hear new bands on tour, but it’s uncommon to be blown away by them. I was completely mesmerized, watching and listening to Pays P.—brothers Lucas and Pablo were creating some unholy noise on guitar and drums while Laura danced wildly, singing back and forth between two microphones. Their music was powerful and beautiful. And it sounded like nothing else to me. I was extremely moved and genuinely transformed by their performance.
We spent a fair amount of time talking about Pays P. in the van throughout the rest of the tour and when we returned home, Sohrab and I extended an invitation to the band to come to Brooklyn to record an album in our Gowanus practice space. Nearly a year later they made the trip with nothing more than their luggage and two jars of homemade Ratatouille. We spent the following week recording, working all day and night, trying to get the best vocal takes between the wall-rumbling songs by the death metal band next door.
Apparently the band also made a similar connection with American musician Buck Meek when they opened a show for him in Paris. Shortly after recording in Brooklyn, Pays. P was asked by Big Thief to support them on a European tour in February 2020. Both groups were making their way across Europe when the pandemic hit, grinding life to a stop for everyone around the world. Fortunately they were able to complete the tour, only having to cancel one show in Italy.
I spent the rest of the year mixing the album in my apartment, sharing mixes and working on revisions with the band, who were under lockdown in Paris. One silver lining of the pandemic was the time it allowed us to focus on the record and not feel rushed. During this time Sohrab and I also decided to launch our label, Peculiar Works, so we could put out a SAVAK 7” and whatever else may come. As fate would have it, the second release on Peculiar Works will be the first full-length album from Pays P. entitled “Ça v aller,” which is scheduled to come out in September 2021. I only hope our efforts recording and releasing this record will allow some other people to have a similar experience with a truly wonderful and unique band.
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“Feel What You Feel” b/w “Access Egress”
Both tunes on this 7″ were recorded as part of the Rotting Teeth in the Horse’s Mouth sessions, but seemed better suited as a separate release. It’s also given us the opportunity to launch our own imprint, Peculiar Works.
Though written and recorded in a pre-COVID-19 world, Jaws’s lyrics to “Feel What You Feel” have an eerie prescience: “I’ve been stuck inside too long / Feel a fever coming on / Haven’t left the house in days / I need some sunlight on my face.” A song about longing and a desire for human connection with a chorus that’s pure power pop glory. You’ll want to stick your head out the window and sing along through your mask. The tune is accentuated with some string arrangements by long-time friend and occasional collaborator Michael Hampton (One Last Wish, The Faith).
The B-side, “Access Egress,” is a melancholy meditation on our endless cycles of conflict. Over a looping bass line and Matt’s free jazz tumble of percussion, Sohrab incants, “Generation vendetta / Born in a bodybag / These wars never end / They just smolder on.” And Jaworski joins in the chorus, a soft plea for “no more secrets,” before an airy keyboard ushers the listener towards the astral realm.
Please note that all pre-orders will have immediate access to pre-release track downloads and streaming.
Pre-orders should ship as close to October 9 release date as possible. If we get them in sooner they will go out sooner, too. We’ll do our best and keep you up to date with the timing as we know more.