WL//WH Premiere: PAPILLON DE NUIT “Musetta” debut LP

WL/WH Premiere PAPILLON DE NUIT

Today, on June 26th, the intriguing debut album titled “Musseta” LP by Papillon De Nuit will be released, featuring nine songs with a romantic aura. This collection includes classical and neo-classical music with a distinctly gothic feel throughout, although it’s not strictly a gothic band.

Centered around songwriter, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Kennedy, with Michalina on cello, Steve Whitfield on guitar, bass and keys (as well as Production duties) and Karen on grand piano, the album also features an array of guest musicians, including Megan Richardson (soprano), Dominique Renard (from Westenra), Beth Veasey (drums) and The Tengu Taiko Drummers.

I read in the Press Kit:

Transcending traditional genres, there are elements of gothic, ambient, classical – even post punk – arranged into soundscapes of drama, settling comfortably into the epic. Or perhaps, simply music created in the dark, released into daylight….the album is named after “Musetta”, one of the major characters in the opera “La Boheme” (Giacomo Puccini) , who is enshrined with all the qualities, and all the follies, that make us who we are…..the songs are not about death, but many of them lead there.

All of this, and where they lead, is certainly trademark English style, but beyond and out of the ‘mist‘. Papillon De Nuit is a skilled assembly of musicians (and recording artists), and their vision is almost clear, that we don’t die while listening to the “Musetta” LP (but also them working on it in the studio). The term ‘gothic’ in this context does not hold the same significance as in English gothic literature. However, to my surprise, it embodies many of those elements, lingering throughout the centuries like a commentary or a legacy that undeniably influences the entire album. It is romantic, melodic, and characterized as if it comes from the breath of the ages.

The 9-song full-length includes accurately re-recorded versions of two slightly older singles, “Jude” and “Amber”. The leading track of the album (with an official video too) is “The Pilgrim’s Arc”:

“The song reflects the desire to bring all the good things from our childhood into adult life, but builds into a confused and frightening cacophony as the reality we experience is so much different”…..listen, watch, and I’ll tell you more in a bit.

You can also check “Frozen Charlotte” official video, which is the closing track of the album…

The entire “Musetta” LP has a purpose for each track, creating an uninterrupted flow in my mind. It’s reminiscent of reading a good book, as if the songs highlight various people—real or imagined—and significant events, almost like we are uncovering a lost diary…..as this diary could be the story of Papillon De Nuit up to this point.

Also, the concern with their music is rather obvious, which has been worked on a lot until it was released as a debut LP. The idea behind a song may have come quickly in the subway, but then the “dressing” and placement of it by the musicians began. It is a deep album, and the things in it are attractive to the ear (and to the soul). It is classical, neoclassical music, it is ambient and all with a slight gothic flair all over, and I agree with the apt “post-genre” they use for their music.

Please, welcome Papillon De Nuit with their debut “Musetta” LP!!!

Papillon de Nuit‘s debut album “Musetta” is out today on CD & Digital formats via the band’s Bandcamp.

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