The French indie-poppers of Phoenix have returned with “Identical”, their first new single since 2017’s Ti Amo.
Phoenix have been recording at Motorbass Studios in Paris, and if “Identical” is any indication, the band is more exuberant than ever. The song uses club-ready drums and slowly-building synthesizers to induce even the most sedentary of butts to start wiggling. The emotiveness of the song makes it perfect for a certain kind of pop movie soundtrack, and indeed, it’s already landed a place in Sofia Coppolas’s upcoming film On the Rocks. “Identical” also provides the score for the first trailer, out today.
This marks the fifth collaboration between that director and this band, in a partnership that dates back to the use of “Too Young” in 2003’s Lost In Translation. (Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars is also married to Coppola.) The accompanying video was directed by another Coppola — that would be Roman — who previously helmed visuals for “Funky Squaredance”, “Long Distance Call”, and “Everything Is Everything”. Here, he chooses to keep it simple; some men just want to light a shirt on fire and watch it burn.
Both song and video for “Identical” are dedicated to Phoenix’s late collaborator, producer and Cassius member Philippe Zdar. Check out the new single below.
Last fall, Phoenix released Liberté, Égalité, Phoenix!, a 248-page memoir co-authored by Laura Snapes.
