Skip the Use

Skip the Use, a five-piece French group from Lille, had previously performed under the punk name Carving before the rebranding sparked a deliberate shift toward angular electro-rock. The change earned them recognition in their home country as a counterpart to Bloc Party. Vocalist Mat Bastard, guitarist Yan Stefani, bassist Jay Gimenez, keyboardist Lio Raepsaet, and drummer Manamax Catteloin first attracted notice with the self-titled debut album issued in 2009. After completing a tour of Europe and Canada and releasing the 2011 EP Sound from the Shadow, they entered the studio with LCD Soundsystem producer Tim Goldsworthy to craft the follow-up full-length Can Be Late, which appeared to critical acclaim in 2012.