Contributing Writer
Skyrocketing duo ascendant vierge — the trance-and-hardcore infused, avant-pop curiosity from France that’s quickly going global — have unveiled their debut album, Une Nouvelle Chance. The wide-ranging project crystallizes why they’ve already provided a cult-favorite performance for Yves Saint-Laurent and have an upcoming Boiler Room set on June 10th; worked with the likes of Danny L Harle; and sold out shows in London, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, and more.
Led by final single “Slowlita,” a genre-bending piece tailored for the clubs with a subtle hyperpop aesthetic, Une Nouvelle Chance cascades across the electronic and pop spectrum. Cuts like “À L’infini” verge into generous swathes of Eurodance while the title track finds sweeping pop vocals underscored by a thunderous hardstyle beat. Throughout Une Nouvelle Chance, ascendant vierge leave no stone left unturned as they push a variety of genres toward their synthesized limits.
The creation of Une Nouvelle Chance began in 2020 and persisted through the lockdown. ascendant vierge looked to evolve past their hard-techno roots and explore a wider array of styles including happy hardcore, trance, EDM, and down-tempo, all laced into a pop framework. Mixed by Geoff Swan (Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX), the album indeed teases out their catchiest pop sensibilities as vocalist Mathilde Fernandez’s poetic lyrics shine through front-and-center.
ascendant vierge is composed of producer Paul Seul and vocalist Mathilde Fernandez, the former of which is a Casual Gabberz co-founder while the latter is a goth-pop artist with a background in the fine arts. Together, they’ve evolved their postmodern blend into over 30 million streams while maintaining a distorted, dreamy aesthetic true to their creative vision. They initially broke out on “Influenceur,” a party anthem that quickly topped 10 million streams alone, alongside their Vierge EP. With plans for tours throughout Europe and North America in 2023 (including stops at the likes of Berghain), the future is bright for ascendant vierge.