Belgian-Caribbean provocateur Charlotte Adigéry and her longtime musical partner, Bolis Pupul, today released their phenomenal debut album Topical Dancer via Soulwax’s iconic DEEWEE label.
The album cements Charlotte and Bolis as a duo under both names for the first time and is co-written and co-produced by Soulwax. Topical Dancer is both a kaleidoscopic electro-pop triumph and “a snapshot of how we think about pop culture in the 2020s.”
Topical Dancer is a whirlwind of 13 tracks through the naturally creative minds of Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul. Cultural appropriation and racism. Social media vanity. Post-colonialism and political correctness. These aren’t talking points you’d usually hear on the dance floor, but Charlotte and Bolis broke the rules with their debut album. Featuring standout singles “Blenda”, “HAHA”, “Thank You”, “Ceci n’est pas un cliche” and today’s hit track “Making Sense Stop”, which premiered on the Matt Wilkinson’s Apple Music show yesterday.
“We talked about writing intentionally and thematically, but also breaking free from writing that way and finding meaning in words another way,” notes Charlotte of “Making Sense Stop,” the latest song they composed for the album. “Words have meaning but can also convey energy for example. And exploring all these ways of writing, and talking a lot about David Byrne and his brilliant way of writing, we decided to ‘Stop Making Sense’ for that last song.”
The Ghent duo, who broke out with their EP Zandoli in 2019, are one of electronic music‘s rare storytellers: they take the temperature of the times and channel it into their playful synth concoctions – never didactic and always with a wink. complicit eye. With rave reviews from The New York Times, Pitchfork, KCRW, BBC 6 Music, Apple Music, The Guardian, NME and many more, Topical Dancer is a deliciously playful dance record and an exceptional debut album from the most brilliant Belgian musical. Talent.
To celebrate the release of their debut album, Charlotte and Bolis will embark on a world tour in April and May, with North American dates including New York, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and more. Tickets can be purchased HERE with full tour details below.
Listen to the new album here:
Tour dates
April 04 Bristol, United Kingdom – Wholesale
Apr 05 Brighton, UK – Green Door Store
April 6 Manchester, UK – YES
April 07 London, UK – XOYO
April 10 Glasgow, UK – Broadcast
April 11 Edinburgh, UK – Sneaky Pete’s
April 17 Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg
April 19 Berlin, DE – Berghain Kantine
April 20 Brussels, BE – Former Belgium
April 25 Paris, FR – Trabendo
May 10 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
May 12 Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
May 13 Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
May 14 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
May 17 Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Salon
May 18 San Francisco, CA – Popscene at Rickshaw Stop
May 20 Seattle, WA – Barboza
