HushPuppies

Originally formed in Perpignan under the name Likyds, the energetic French indie rock combo Hushpuppies brought together Olivier Jourdan on vocals, Cyrille Sudreaud handling guitars and backing vocals, Wilfried Jourdan on keyboards, and Jean Pompidor behind the drums. Relocating to Paris in the early 2000s, the members linked up with an old acquaintance, Guillame Le Guen, whom the group had already hailed as "the best bass player in Bordeaux," prompting the adoption of the Hushpuppies moniker. Drawn equally to punk rock's wild unpredictability, the angular melancholy of post-punk, Krautrock's hypnotic precision, and the straightforward noise-making inherent in rock music at large, the band aligned itself with singer and musician Benjamin Diamond—best known for delivering Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You," the major European dance hit of 1998—who also ran the independent imprint Diamondtraxx. That label put out the group's debut album, The Trap, in 2005; the record reached more than 20 countries and achieved independent success in France by moving over 20,000 copies. While promoting the release, Hushpuppies performed more than 100 concerts throughout Europe along with dates in Russia and Japan. Their second album, Silence Is Golden, produced by Peter Deimel (known for his work with the Kills and dEUS), arrived in 2007 after the single "I Want My Kate Moss" had already appeared.