French songwriter Laura Cahen aims to bridge the gap between the vintage chanson vocal stylings of Françoise Hardy and the work of more contemporary folk storytellers like Laura Marling. In fact, Cahen even teamed up with Marling’s LUMP bandmate Mike Lindsay to help produce her latest album, De l’autre côté, which strikes an impressive balance between the songwriter’s classical vocals and playfully futuristic instrumentals, as heard on the Kid A–esque electronic sounds of pre-album single “Partout.”
While visiting Los Angeles for the first time prior to the album’s January release, Cahen performed this song and “Fusées” for a “Neighborhoods” session in a backyard in Highland Park. Strumming through the tracks on acoustic guitar with backing vocals and keys from Damon Albarn/Thom Yorke collaborator Josephine Stephenson, both tracks sound equally otherworldly in these stripped-back setups. “I was so happy to play in this LA garden, in the sun, with Josephine, in a very stripped-down version,” the artist shares. “The cries of the crows perched in the palm trees gave us a few laughs.”
Check out the performance below.
