Nous Non Plus

Formed in 2005, Nous Non Plus emerged from the dissolution of New York City’s earlier faux-French outfit Les Sans Culottes, blending whimsical indie pop with pronounced Francophilia. The lineup—Céline Dijon on vocals, Jean-Luc Retard on bass and vocals, Bonnie Day handling vocals and violin, Cal d’Hommage on guitar, Professeur Harry Covert on drums, Morris “Mars” Chevrolet on synthesizer, and François Hardonne on keyboard and trumpet—had previously performed together under Les Sans Culottes, a project also shaped by bandleader Clermont Ferrand. In 2005 the musicians executed a coup d’état that removed Ferrand, after which they sought to keep the Les Sans Culottes name intact; Ferrand, a former lawyer who represented himself, sued his ex-colleagues in response. Lacking funds to contest the action, the group relinquished the name and adopted Nous Non Plus instead.

Continuing the French-pop approach of their predecessor despite having no French lineage, the ensemble saw its self-titled debut reach the CMJ Top 10 in 2005. The subsequent album Ménagerie refreshed the band’s vintage 1960s-style songcraft through Moog synthesizers and distorted guitars.