ANIMAUX FORMIDABLES: “… unleash our true animal souls in an intuitive and raw way.”

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

Animaux Formidables create a certain David Bowie or Arctic Monkeys feeling in their debut album “We Are All Animals”. The duo is married, and the idea of “doing something artistic together” had been dormant in them for a long time. When the time was right, everything came naturally,” the two explain.

Formative albums:

The Knife – “The Knife” (2001)
La Femme – “Psycho Tropical Berlin” (2013)
Paul & Linda McCartney – “Ram” (1971)

Masks of the soul?
The main message of the project is that we are all animals in the end. In connection with this, Animaux Formidables denounce that we would all wear masks that cover our souls. The two Italians do it the other way around: they release the inner animal, but at the same time dress in latex masks. How does that fit together? They explain, “We wanted to create a kind of alter ego that would free us from societal oppressions, prejudices and condemnations. We wanted to unleash our true animal souls in an intuitive and raw way.” They become especially aware of their animal heritage when making music: “When during the creative process we let the music flow driven by our instincts. Each song is born in a few minutes (or at least the main matrix). And every time we realize we’ve been working on a song for too long, we let it go and start over.”

Making the blind see?
Accordingly, the album was recorded in just one take, which gives it a certain live character. “We want to reflect on the record the essence of what we create in the rehearsal room and what is then performed live on stage. Without any kind of tricks. The first song that was created was “Fortress of Solitude”. What was born “just for fun” gradually developed into a suitable sound fabric. “We Are All Animals” ends with “Now I Can See You,” which describes opening your eyes. How does the formation itself deal with blindness, and what was the factor of recognition? “For example, the passage of time can be a blessing against blindness if we are able to question ourselves, grow and change our perception of things, and do it again and again. What’s next for Animaux Formidables? “Our main goal is to keep performing live and touring a lot, and in the meantime work on new material for the second album and explore other sound paths.”

The colored vinyl edition of “We Are All Animals” will be released on 30 June 2023 via Go Down Records. Click on the album cover to order it: