H/P – Liquid Mirrors (EP – BOREDOMproduct)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: While awaiting the album of French Electro-Pop project H/P we get both previously released singles “Ultraviolin” and “Black Tea” together plus one exclusive song, which is the title track.
Content: Both songs stand for the sound approach of the French BOREDOMproduct label; retro-like Electro-Pop with analogue-like sound treatments and Electro-Wave driven melodies. Both songs have been also featured as “Extended”-edits while the bonus cut is an Experimental piece featuring French samplings.
+ + + : I like the analogue sound treatments running through this work, which especially on the title song “Liquid Mirror” reminds me of the genius sound treatments of Front 242 during their “Geography”-period. The 80s touch is omnipresent, but H/P first of all reveals a true talent to transpose retro-sounds into a refreshing and alluring piece of Electro-Pop. I also recommend listening to the ‘extended’ version of “Ultraviolin”.
– – – : It’s a typical 80s trick, but I’ve never been a huge fan of fade outs like the one used on “Ultraviolin”.
Conclusion: No doubt about it, this EP has awakened my curiosity to discover the album of H/P; this great, vintage Electro-Pop.
Best songs: “Ultraviolin – Extended”, “Liquid Mirror”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.facebook.com/hp.programma
Label: www.boredomproduct.fr / www.facebook.com/boredomproduct
About H/P
H/P is the French electro-pop project of Christelle Fournioux, Cyrille Tuyeras and Fred Tuyeras. The three worked for years as Happiness Project before shortening the name to its initials at the suggestion of their label, BOREDOMproduct. Cyrille Tuyeras explained the change in a Side-Line interview: “We chose the initials of our name H/P to make understand that our music will become more minimalist and will go rapidly to its purpose.”
The trio released the two-track digital single “Ultraviolin” in October 2021, followed by the single “Black Tea” in December 2021. Both acted as teasers for the first album under the H/P name, “Programma”, a ten-track analogue recording issued by BOREDOMproduct as a CD digisleeve and as a limited 12” LP, with Alain Seghir of Martin Dupont on bass on the closing track. The “Liquid Mirrors” EP collects the two singles together with the previously unreleased title track.
The band discussed the album at length in Click Interview with H/P: ‘Our Goal Has Always Been To Not Make The Same Album Twice’.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
