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“Herr Styler would like to sound like the opposite of predictable.”

We’ve been posting Herr Styler’s music for a few years now, but we’ve still don’t really know who they are. One half of the duo is almost certainly Golden Bug – who is Antoine Harispuru, the founder of French label La Belle – but the other half of the duo has remained a bit of a mystery to this day.

Earlier this week we received an envelope from Paris. Inside was a USB key carved out of wood with Herr Styler’s logo etched onto the side. Inside were three folders: Listen. Read. Watch.

Herr StylerAlong with the usual press release information the label included a clipping from a newspaper, describing a report of a ritualistic dance where 20 children were spotted in a forrest, singing and dancing in circle around a tree.

The opening track, ‘Necklace Forest‘ begins with the sound of thunder as Herr Styler transport you to that very same forest. The track develops like a short story; with a clear beginning, middle and end. Behind the shadowy narrative there is of course a club track of sorts trying to find its way out but it’s constantly fighting the EP’s narrative.

Moving on, ‘We Are The Ones‘, the second track, is surprisingly a euphoric pop track featuring Claudia Sorvillo on vocals – but as with anything Herr Styler is not what you’d call “normal” pop, balancing brash classical orchestration against rubbery, bubblegum pop. It’s really quite special and a real highlight.

The final song, ‘Pienzm‘, reverts back to the EP’s original narrative: Necklace Forest. It’s dark and grizzly as the duo weave an unnerving tapestry of frisky house grooves set against moody soundscapes. It’s quite unlike anything we’ve heard before, but in a really good way.

HBF Rating 5/5

Out February 3.

Andrew Rafter

Andrew Rafter is the editor and founder of Harder Blogger Faster.