THOMAS GUERLET - How Strange To Be Anyone?
DISC CONDITION: Mint (M)
COVER CONDITION: Mint (M)
YEAR: 2022
After several notable opening acts (Benjamin Biolay, Adrien Gallo, Paris Jackson) thanks to his velvet voice and his 52-key piano, the Franco-English crooner, Thomas Guerlet, finally releases his first album, How strange to be anyone?, on the Zuma Music label. While he readily claims to be part of the English wave of King Krule and Alex Turner, he also does not deny his belonging to the ecosystem of the great family of Gainsbourg and Dutronc or more recently Benjamin Biolay.
We don't always know what to expect when we hear a song or a break in rhythm, but the guy knows how to hook us. The words are chosen as much for their meaning as their intrinsic beauty, they are sometimes spoken, sung or declaimed at the top of their lungs. Their apparent simplicity, their directness and their first degree contrast in a strangely harmonious way with the subtle constructions that serve as their sound setting. Thomas Guerlet plays all the instruments, he produces absolutely everything and takes care of the arrangements in his bedroom. The singles “How Strange!” – co-produced by Ash Workman (Metronomy, Christine & The Queens) – or “The Derailer” with their bitter and nostalgic tastes are present on the album, which rallies rock fans as well as jazz or hip-hop fans to its cause.