French five-piece Unschooling returned late in 2023 with a tightly focused whirlwind of an album, New World Artifacts. It comes after their 2021 EP Random Acts of Total Control album saw them tour extensively – ramping up well-deserved attention across festivals, gig circuits, and the internet alike – much like their debut tape Defensive Designs in 2019. Released via Bad Vibrations, their latest offering is a pithy half-hour of fresh, skilfully realised post-punk, packing an impressive dose of energy into its 11 tracks. Unsurprisingly, it’s great: on top of the hazy distortion, glitchy time signatures, and coagulating vocals that Unschooling fans have come to love, New World Artifacts glitters with analogue textures and additional instrumentation including saxophone and strings from the band’s musical friends.
Hailing from Rouen in France, Unschooling have graced stages across Europe and the UK in the last few years, including festivals such as the Great Escape, Green Man, and the second edition of Wide Awake, where they shared a lineup with a varied selection of names including Primal Scream, The Comet is Coming, Loraine James and Grove.
Unschooling’s creative force doesn’t end with their clutch of acclaimed releases and quasi-relentless tour schedule. The videos for ‘Ribbon Road’ and ‘Excommunicated’ show off the band’s sense of imagination and fun: proper storytelling, this, complete with DIY costumes and set-pieces and pleasingly grainy analogue camera effects. The collage and lo-fi animation in 2021’s ‘Social Chameleon’ are a real work of art, conjuring up kids’ TV from the early ‘80s, and tying in with the collage artwork of the band’s album sleeves and posters by vocalist and guitarist Vincent Fevrier. That’s not to mention the gem of the Unschooling website, which is worth a visit just for its cracking ‘00s design.
While we sadly weren’t able to catch them in Bristol on their most recent tour due to an unfortunate cancellation, Wax spoke with Vincent following their return at the tail end of last year.
Your album New World Artifacts came out in October – congrats! What was the process of making the album like, and how does it feel to share it with the world?
Thanks! We recorded the album in a few sessions on a farm in the Normandy countryside. It was quite chaotic because were often on tour at the same time and the recording gear was somewhat defective (we opted for a no-computer process). It was mostly recorded live, unlike the two previous EPs. Each performer brought their personal touch which is very precious: it took me out of my comfort zone. They all have a very personal vibe and groove and they were very invested and open-minded throughout the whole process. It feels great to have succeeded in taking up this challenge and I feel lucky to be able to share it beyond French borders.
You’ve been on a fairly long European tour run, and you’ve had similarly busy tour schedules the last couple of years. How does touring a lot shape your music or your process?
Heavy touring is a good source of inspiration for the lyrics, I would say. I often find myself putting together notes from my phone during these long hours spent in the van. Poor touring conditions, sleep deprivation, even food deprivation, relationships within the group, meeting new people every day… all that represents very fertile material. It sparks new ideas in my head that I can’t wait to transcribe when I get home. I think 90% of the work of writing an album happens while thinking in the background, and touring allows you to allocate a lot of time for that.
What do you never travel without?
I never travel without water and a toiletry bag. Health first!
You’re based in France but most of your songs are in English. What inspired your choice to write and perform in English?
I built my musical culture around Anglophone pop-rock music, so it felt quite obvious for me. I also like to work with that language since it feels easier to transcribe complex thoughts and feelings. English words imply more expansive meanings. French is harder to master, perhaps more literal and precise… but I’m not closed to the idea of using it in Unschooling’s songs one day!
Would writing or singing in French feel like you were expressing different things?
Yes, totally – for the reasons I mentioned before. I tend to think in English first when I write pieces of lyrics.
Unschooling has been around for several years now, on both sides of 2020 and the pandemic. How did that enforced slowdown impact you as a band and the trajectory of your music?
I must say that I appreciated this period of global slowdown. In fact it gave me time to finish mixing/producing our second EP Random Acts of Total Control. Shortly before the shutdown I was very scattered and went out to party every night. It also allowed me to serenely think about its release and promotion. In 2021 we found a label and a booking agency. This period was very beneficial for both the band and myself.
How do you think your approach or sound has changed over the last 4 years?
It depends a lot on what I’m listening to. I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from the production of certain groups, almost obsessively. For Defensive Designs (2019) it was mostly from bands such as Sonic Youth and the 2000s-2010s Canadian independent scene. With the second EP I wanted to cut all possible reverbs and room sounds to obtain something more claustrophobic (70s Motown and post-punk bands such as Gang of Four or The Fire Engines). During the creation of New World Artifacts I delved deeper into country and folk music. I also listened to a lot of movie soundtracks from the 30s to the 70s. Very orchestral stuff. Hip-hop and dub too. More generally I would just say that I want to pay tribute to the many groups that have had an impact on me while adding a very personal touch.
The DIY, punk aesthetic comes across strongly in your collective work. For example, the self-released Defensive Designs cassette, the collage album covers, and the VHS footage and cutout props in some of the videos. I also love how your website draws on 90s and early 00s internet vibes – what drew you to these artistic approaches? What do they mean to you?
I’ve always done this quite instinctively although I was certainly influenced by certain scenes and people I met. I’ve always wanted to do things on my own which usually means using what I have to hand. It always feels creative and fun to play with old-fashioned tools. Their technical limitations are very beneficial to ideas. Sometimes it’s just accidental: I found the Defensive Designs cover in an old 70s book that my mother was given in her teenage years called Virginie a 14 ans le nouvel art de vivre. It’s full of bullshit on how girls should behave when they become adults. I found the visual very aesthetically interesting and wanted to twist it a bit to highlight all its absurdity and nonsense.
Which other bands or artists are you excited about at the moment?
Etran de L’AÏr. Desert blues for polyrhythm nerds from Agadez in the north of Niger. They sound incredible. I love their first album in particular because the production is modest/cool and you can hear the crowd all around singing, clapping, and dancing. It’s very precious. They usually play for events such as weddings or baptisms but had the opportunity to play all across Europe and the United States recently. A few other bands/artists I think of: Freak Heat Waves, Cindy Lee, Tim Hecker, Marta Salogni, Wild Classical Music Ensemble, EXEK, Fievel Is Glauque…
What’s been keeping you busy outside of music?
Spending time with my family and friends, role playing games such as Baldur’s Gate III, long runs through the forest, and struggling to make some money to pay the rent and bills!
Words: Fran Pope // Photos: Marc Delevaud (header) & Marco-Antonio Grubben (body)
‘New World Artifacts’ is out now via Bad Vibrations. Stream or purchase the album via Bandcamp.