A rock’n’roll sensation from the word go, Danish-Brazilian The Courettes are back with their fourth and best album to date – The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes. And this time, they’re bigger, wider and deeper than ever before as they add more to the blistering ramalama that’s seen them cause pandemonium across the venues, festivals and airwaves of the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. Hitting the sweet spot that straddles garage rock, girl groups, doo-wop harmonies, heartache and all points in between, here The Courettes build on the momentum of predecessor ‘Back In Mono’ with a collection of songs that opens up their sonic scope while confronting dark, emotional matter to reveal ‘The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes’. “We didn’t want to do Back In Mono 2’,” stresses drummer Martin Couri. “We always try to put ourselves into a zone of discomfort, which I think is where exciting things happen rather than just doing the same thing over again,” agrees singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Flavia Couri. “I mean, I know some bands can do that but we don't see ourselves making the same album for the next 20 years. We thought ‘Back In Mono’ was our best album until this one!” She’s not wrong. Having evolved with each album release, The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes draws inspiration from many of the duo’s numerous idols that have only previously been hinted at.“We wanted to show our love of the Spector Wall Of Sound and Motown,” reveals Flavia. “It was a clear mission and we’ve absolutely nailed it.” From the glorious opening beats and stabbing fuzz honks of ‘You Woo Me’ to the closing emotional tugs of ‘For Your Love’ via ‘SHAKE!’’s fuzzed-up urgency and ‘California’’s celebratory warmth, The Courettes have broadened their sound with an increased musical instrumentation and overall sophistication that’s evident in both their sound and songwriting. And crucially, they’ve achieved this without sacrificing any of the rock’n’roll grit that’s been scraped from Flavia’s guitar strings and Martin’s battered and pummelled drums.
Reflecting The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes, the album’s monochrome album cover was shot by celebrated photographer Søren Solkær, who’s previously immortalised Amy Winehouse, The White Stripes and Paul McCartney among many others. “It's such a cool contrast to the pop songs,” says Martin of the cover art, “but it's also hand-in-hand with the album’s dark themes.
He really goes into your soul. I think it’s amazing.” For all that, The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes is an album aimed as much for what’s below the neck as above it, for this is an album that dances through the darkness to celebrate the joy that is living.“Life is so fragile,” smiles Flavia. “But what are you supposed to do? I’d rather dance.” And what better album to do that to?
Released: September 2024
Cat: DAMGOOD622
Label: Damaged Goods
