Review
Guerilla Poubelle
L’Ennui

One of the big appeals of punk is its community. So it’s nice to listen to a record where you don’t know what the hell they’re saying sometimes. It’s a good way to make sure it’s really the music that’s putting that bounce in your step instead of political or social solidarity. And I’m greatly enjoying L’Ennui by Paris’ Guerilla Poubelle, which is entirely sung in French.

(I won’t lie: I also trust that the band’s ethics align with my own based on scene affiliations.)

The band just plays good, old-fashioned punk without a dozen hyphens. It’s generally melodic in structure with singalong choruses. Sometimes it’s poppy and peppy, other times there’s angry shouting. Sometimes there’s a groove that makes you want to shake your hips. Red Scare is a good fit for the band; there is a pop sensibility, but Guerilla Poubelle don’t play straight-up pop-punk, rather they play rough and tumble proletarian punk with pop sensibilities. It fits into that poppish-realm but without the predictability of, say, The Ramones.

“La Chute” offers some hip-shaking swagger at the start, with a big punch build-up at the finish. “Qui Perd Perd” is an anger fest with hardcore crunch. They mix it up even more on “La Guerre des Pavres,” which has gang vocals and a ska breakdown. “La Bataille de Paris” is a classic singalong with some breakdowns that segue perfectly into a burst of a chorus. Defining the band’s sound, I’d say it falls in the middle between all of those descriptions. Take “Apocalypse 6:12” as an example. It has an emotional singalong chorus, a subtle bounce and positive vibes. L’Ennui balances anger, frustration and fun. It feels like a party with friends in a dank basement, a place of celebration and the world burns to rubble outside.