Déviante may not be what you need but its Y2K cybergoth aesthetic holds a unique charm. Justine Daaé (The Erinyes) has been the primary mind of Elyose now for over ten years, which she has used wisely to hone and embolden her craft. Whether it’s the “Bring Me to Life” (Evanescence) rap/bark/siren dueling of “L’assemblée” or the turn of the 10s chunky guitar work à la Circles that propels “Le glaive,” Elyose remains modern in full embrace of its inspirations. At a glance, pop-aiming acts like Amaranthe appear as sound cousins, but bands like that often lose an edge to achieve an overall palatability. Daaé, in contrast, uses her studied croons to bend melodies around tight grooves (“Ils t’ont dit”) and layer dense choirs with her wide range (“Déviante”)—accessibility through finesse. Elyose wears its brightest moments with power and precision.
Mostly, this means that Elyose stocks more hooks than a tackle shop—Déviante can’t stop itself from having well-barbed choruses. Calculated tactics like intensity shifts from soft verse to soaring chorus (“Ils t’ont dit”) and stutter riffs that drop out before big bang melodies (“Retour au réel”) keep the ABABCB songs from feeling too familiar in form to each other. Daaé shines on deeply layered and vocally syncopated choruses that explore similar territory as modern Leprous work but with far more restraint. Still the creep of fatigue sets in from chorus overload during the middle section of Déviante, the slower double whammy of “Humaine” and “Déviante.” Even still you’ll be adding your own struggling voice to the strongest numbers.3
Even though Elyose crafts simple, tricky, and thicky grooves, the boomy, modern production can get in the way of the subtler flourishes that give Déviante character. While the record doesn’t score particularly low on the DR scale, the guitar tracks and bass kicks (all handled by Daaé’s partner in crime, Anthony Chognard) feel particularly overwhelming through songs that have gentle synth lines hovering in the back (“Le glaive,” “Humaine”). And at moments where the guitars play a supporting role to allow a synthwave influence to pour through, the synth work feels too upfront, giving this space an even louder attitude than when the guitar dominates (“Déviante,” “De la lune à la terre”). Regardless, Daaé’s voice always ends up front and center, a respite to my ears which feel a bit exhausted by the often blaring mix.
Over the course of Elyoseߵs career, Daaé has come into her own as a confident frontwoman. In many ways, the path she carves runs toward the same destination, from a different starting point, to previously prog-heavy groups like Leprous or Voyager who have grown further distant from complex and noodly roots. And, simultaneously, the raw promise of what Elyose has to offer fulfills the jagged groove in a power pop sleeve that Spiritbox could have fulfilled had Eternal Blue remained adventurous in spirit. Whatever issues I may have with Déviante can’t take away the joy and power I feel when it connects, even if every track doesn’t resound as memorably as peak moments. Elyose, now four albums down, may not be a household name, but Déviante gives us many reasons to consider that Daaé has moved her project closer toward breakout success.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self Release
Websites: elyosemusic.com | facebook.com/elyoseofficial
Releases Worldwide: February 9th, 2023
