Shimmering and blissful, Paris II is a soundtrack a sepia-hued utopian daydream. A follow-up to Paris I, Oracle Sisters continue with their sonic exploration of the French capital.
‘Honey Moon’ kicks off the record with hazy guitars and soothing drum grooves, blending folk, dream pop and rock into a lucid, dreamlike track. Oracle Sisters draw on a variety of influences – art, cinema, philosophy and music of the world over – to create blended sounds and musing lyrics. On ‘The Dandelion’, guitar melodies interweave alongside piano keys, musing vocals and ’70s soft-rock in the guitar licks. It’s delicious, mon chéri.
Building upon their first EP’s theme of music lifted from an idealised vision of Paris, Oracle Sisters describe Paris II as the “dual side of that world – coming back down to Earth to explore the darker sides of the psyche, while probing some allies of hope”. Matching romanticism with a serving of reality, the EP is certainly a grounded exploration of human emotion.
Unsurprisingly on an EP inspired by the so-called City of Love, most of its lyrics explore the band’s experiences of romance: on ‘If I Was Yours,’ Lazar reflects, ‘if I was yours – but no, no I’ll never be, but you can borrow me for a while‘. Similarly, ‘La Ferme Song’ opens with warm, soft acoustic melodies before following suit with the yearning: ‘and I wait, I wait, I’m waiting for my only one… all this time I’ve been wanting only you‘.
Writing about Paris can often lead to creative cliches, yet Oracle Sisters manage to avoid this, keeping their lyrics metaphorical and their sounds sophisticated. Like its sister EP, Paris II recalls daily life through a dream-like daze, mixing observant lyrics and blended instrumentation.
Haiku Review:
An erudite gang
lauding Paris – without the
pricey souvenirs.
Paris II is out on April 7th 2021 via 22TWENTY. Listen on Spotify and Apple Music.
