FatCat Records have announced the signing of MNNQNS (pronounced Mannequins) from Rouen, France. Brought together by their shared taste in post-punk, they take influence from heavyweights like The Fall, Television and Sonic Youth, and are a compelling force of tightly woven guitars, enveloping feedback and singer Adrian D’Epinay’s deadpan, almost sermonic vocals.
Despite being a part of Rouen’s burgeoning underground music scene, MNNQNS have set their sights further afield than their homeland, signing to UK indie label FatCat.
Taken from their debut record ‘The Advertisement EP’, ‘If Only They Could’ is a driving, frenetic achievment. Channeling their obvious post punk vibe with a retro twist. Hints of surf rock in the guitar tone and a little At The Drive In in the vocal delivery. It’s very much a french rock n roll sound too, but not in the tired cliched way. Exciting and ambitious.
You can stream it here:
Although MNNQNS like to remind their listeners that the basis to all of their creation is pop, it’s sometimes hard to believe when they breakout into drones and frenetic, repetitive guitar lines. The band say they like to take their ideas to the extreme, which is entirely true. When they’re pop, they’re really pop. When they’re punk, they’re really punk. But these shifts happen within the space of a mood swing, the confines of one song: a mix of elements, condensed, but still distinct. MNNQNS waste no time in forming a connection with the listener, both sonically and emotionally.
Live:
16th May – Birthdays, London (tickets)
17 – 19th May – The Great Escape, Brighton (tickets)
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