After retracing the path of Lou Reed, with her tribute show and album ‘Run Run Run’, Emily Loizeau returns in full force, influenced by growing concerns for the challenges of climate change and migration, and everything we’ve been through these past years. Writing in the thick of lockdown and recording during quarantine in England with John Parish (producer and musician for PJ Harvey), Loizeau had dreamt of collaborating and creating an album in the land of her roots long before it came to pass.

Both guitarist Csaba Palotaï, by Loizeau’s side these last ten years, and pianist / bassist Boris Boublil, a new addition to the team, had worked with Parish before on a variety of musical projects. Sacha Toorop, on the drums, also had experience recording with Parish for Dominique A’s ‘Auguri’ album.

“Our work on the demos with Boris, Csaba and Sacha; the songwriting for this album; the sound I was trying to render: everything seemed to point to a return to the United Kingdom and to Parish’s creative force, which is raw, sensitive and powerful all at once,” Loizeau says. “The time was right!” The album is a diary – personal fieldnotes from a lockdown, with an eye turned towards the outer world. A call, a deep and powerful desire to seek out the core of our fears and anger and find there what binds each soul to the other.

‘Icare’ is the story of the infinite within us, our desires and our shortcomings, how we reach for beauty, for harmony, our creative frustrations and the Promethean madness that may precipitate our fall.