- Personas are rare in dance music. Some artists wear masks and most take on different names, but few of them get into character. As Fantastic Twins (or simply The Twins), Julienne Dessagne portrays two. She can be vulnerable (as on "In My Head," from the recently released Total 17) or despairing (see "Holiday," the standout of a five-track EP on Hippie Dance's sister label) in the way that most people can be. But when Dessagne sings, in high registers and sharp arcs, she sounds supernaturally possessed. The New You's offbeat house cuts give ample room for Dessagne to express her selves.
The EP's title track describes a literal transformation. "One step, only one step left / Till you become the new you," Dessagne sings over a simple bass pulse and an irregular kick. After a passage of metal scrapes, vocal coos and synth swirls, Dessagne begins to chant "the new!" over tough chords and live 4/4 drums. Other changes surface elsewhere. The noirish mix of '80s new wave and disco of previous EPs gives way to finger-picked strings and hand drums on "Shake It." "Hey"'s dizzy mallet loops and vocal howls make for a stripped-back banger in the Cómeme mould. The best, though, is "Time Science." Over a minimal beat, taken way off-road by electric guitar screeches and piercing harmonies, Dessagne struggles to recall some unspecified event. "I think it was a Sunday," she says, "or was it a Tuesday?" At some point she gives up trying. "It's… such a blur," she shrugs, as though she was having too much fun at the time to remember. When you listen, you'll understand why.
Tracklist01. Shake It
02. Hey
03. The New You
04. Time Science