A key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for almost twenty years, Annie-Claude Deschênes (Duchess Says, PyPy) will release LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE, her first solo album, this Friday, April 5th. Today, she serves up the album's title track as an appetizer. Album launch shows will be held at the PHI Centre (Montreal) and Le Pantoum (Quebec) on April 26th and May 11th respectively.
Pre-order / pre-save LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE on vinyl or digital format.
Get tickets to see Annie-Claude Deschênes live.
Regardless of where we are eating, proper table etiquette is primordial… or not. On the new wave track LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE from the album of the same name, Annie-Claude Deschênes suggests in a directive tone bordering on rudeness the right behaviour to adopt according to the 2024 Table Manners Guide. Backed by haunting synthesizers and a frenetic beat, she rigorously explains how to follow the cathartic rules of dining, avoiding faux pas along the way. Bon appétit!
Watch and share the visualizer for LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE via YouTube.
Since the release of her first single MENACE MINIMALE in November 2023, the multidisciplinary artist’s solo project caught the attention of several international media outlets, reaching English (Clash Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, God Is In The TV), French (Les Inrocks, Radio Nova), Spanish (FILTER México) and German (ByteFM) speaking audiences.
Known for her hypnotic presence and eccentric stage sets, Annie-Claude Deschênes delivers a live experience that takes the form of an improbable, experimental blend of minimal pop and cuisine, during which the audience is invited to interact with the artist using all of their senses. In order to bring this unusual yet festive dinner show to life, Annie-Claude has enlisted a culinary stylist. See the list below for all tour dates.
About LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE
Inspired by the pioneers of electronic music, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE is as danceable and melodic as it is disquieting and dystopian. Its songs were conceived during the lockdown to overcome inactivity, and were not originally intended for release. The album’s defining conceptual and aesthetic ideas began to develop organically as Annie-Claude was familiarizing herself with technologies such as drum machines and sequencers; through producing beats composed from samples of utensils, table etiquette became a source of inspiration, a form of conformity that she enjoyed experimenting with. Meanwhile, a fascination for surveillance cameras and other futuristic-looking, but already obsolete technologies integrated her visual universe. Annie-Claude Deschênes’ experiments gradually evolved into a full-fledged project that proposes to set the table differently by deconstructing the social codes of politeness. LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE draws from a wide range of influences, notably Steve Reich’s minimalism, Kraftwerk’s synthetic textures, Herbie Hancock’s stylistic diversity and experimental cinema’s unconventional approach to narrative.
About Annie-Claude Deschênes
Multidisciplinarity is an integral part of Annie-Claude Deschênes’ creative process, who continues her perpetual personal quest of uniting music and performance art by bending the pre-established conventions of stage presence. A key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for almost twenty years, she made her mark as a singer, musician, songwriter, performer and visual artist with Duchess Says and PyPy, two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying performances as for their artistic sensibility. Over the course of her career, she shared the stage with a number of internationally renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes and Buzzcocks. Duchess Says and PyPy's extensive touring has taken her all over North America and Europe, playing venues and festivals (Primavera Fest, Eurockéennes de Belfort, OSHEAGA, Sled Island, etc.) as well as unconventional locations such as golf courses, factories and churches. Her exploratory approach to staging and sound design takes a new direction with the genesis of this solo project: the urgency that characterizes her work remains, but frustration and aggression give way to introspection and vulnerability. Annie-Claude Deschênes explores and reinvents herself under her own name, driven by a constant need to create outside of her comfort zone.
Tour Dates
26/04/2024 - Montreal, QC - Centre PHI (album launch)
02/05/2024 - Ottawa, ON - Club SAW
10/05/2024 - Chicoutimi, QC - CEM
11/05/2024 - Quebec, QC - Le Pantoum (album launch)