The Limiñanas

French duo the Limiñanas fuse rumbling fuzzy organ, twanging guitar, half-spoken/half-sung vocals, and vintage analog production into a sound that revives the cool essence of 1960s French pop while steering it toward fresh terrain shaped by Italian soundtrack music, psychedelia, Suicide, and country blues. Their 2010 self-titled debut established the core approach, after which each later release refined the formula through inventive adjustments. The understated acoustic palette of Costa Blanca in 2013 and the glossy neo-psychedelia of Malamore in 2016 illustrate how the pair broadened their palette without abandoning their foundations.

Although drummer and occasional singer Marie Limiñana and multi-instrumentalist Lionel Limiñana—who handles bass, organ, and numerous other roles—form the duo’s nucleus, they regularly invite guest vocalists and additional musicians onto their recordings. Following the 2010 “I’m Dead” single, they issued their self-titled album on Trouble in Mind. Continued single releases preceded the summer 2012 arrival of their second LP, Crystal Anis. After reshaping their aesthetic to incorporate greater French and Italian soundtrack influences, they delivered their third Trouble in Mind album, Costa Blanca, in 2013.

A 2014 anthology of singles and rarities, I’ve Got Trouble in Mind: 7" and Rare Stuff 2009/2014, preceded a 2015 collaboration with French guitarist Pascal Comelade that yielded the Because Music LP Traité de Guitarres Triolectiques. The following year brought their fourth album, Malamore, which included contributions from Comelade on one track and former New Order bassist Peter Hook on another. After the late-2017 EP Istanbul Is Sleepy, recorded with Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe, the duo returned with Shadow People. Released by Because Music in early 2018, the characteristically Limiñanas-styled album featured Hook, actress Emmanuelle Seigner, Newcombe (who also produced), and French vocalist Bertrand Belin. Later that year a second compilation, I’ve Got Trouble in Mind, Vol. 2: 7" and Rare Stuff 2015/2018, reached stores. In 2019 the pair composed the score for Pierre Creton’s film Le Bel Été (A Beautiful Summer), highlighted by singer/songwriter Étienne Daho’s performance on the main theme, “One Blood Circle.”