Duchess Says
Sciences Nouvelles
Duchess Says serves us a repertory of "moog rock" songs strong in images and enormously intense live performances! Anyone who has witnessed the band live knows the pure theatrical mayhem that ensues, with onstage antics approaching those of Jesus Lizard’s David Yow.
Duchess Says was created by four members of the Church of Budgerigars whose goal was to insure a faithful representation of the message of the Duchess (or spiritual budgie) through a precise artistic dialog.
Composed of A-Claude (vox, keytar, guitar), Phil (guitar, bass, feedbacks) and Simon (lo-fi beats, drums and doubtful noises), Duchess Says serves a repertory of moog rock - strong in image and a live force to be reckoned with. Everyone who has witnessed them knows the theatrical mayhem that ensues, with antics approaching those of Jesus Lizard’s David Yow. They've shared the stage with renowned combos all over the world, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Ariel Pink, The Black Lips and The Buzzcocks, and have unleashed a number of self-serving pagan soirees including SXSW, the Festival d’été de Québec, Nuits Sonores, Dour, Osheaga, Primavera Sound, Eurockéennes and CMJ.
Duchess Says’ influences range from no wave, new wave and punk, to cinema and the visual arts. Their penchant for blending dance music and aggression works well and makes them comparable to other acts such as Devo, Fucked Up and DAF.
“Negative Thoughts,” a six-minute thunderstorm that builds slowly before unleashing torrents of distorted guitars, crashing drums, sirens, and the dynamo that is singer Annie-Claude Deschenes. You can almost hear her whipping a crowd into a frenzy.
Brooklyn VeganThe band are nearly a household name in the Montreal underground, but they still haven't made a name outside of the city which, frankly, is shocking...Their arty synth punk is part Devo, part Black Flag and part B-52's, the kind of skewed pop that only musicians raised on experimental music could make.
Exclaim!That commotion turned out to be singer Annie-C Deschênes of Duchess Says, a one-woman mosh pit of sorts. She raced around like the Tasmanian Devil, alternately hugging and punching, and wrestling people while shrieking along to her band’s aggressive no wave. At the end of the set, Annie-C organized a race among audience members, who gleefully ran around the periphery of the lot.
PitchforkYou heard Devo in 1985...you’ve heard songs by Suicide. Then you know what Duchess Says sounds like. The songs are short, the game is tight, and the visual aspect is astonishing.
The New York TimesHyped up keys and defiant drums perfectly capture the essence of the '80s on Montreal band Duchess Says' new single I Repeat Myself.
Noisey- Canada Bonsound
- Rest of the world Slovenly Recordings
- Canada Heavy Trip
- Europe/UK Julie Tippex