French Style Furs is the newly-formed supergroup of Cold War Kids frontman Nathan Willet and bassist Matt Maust alongside We Barbarians drummer Nathan Warketin. Their first album, Is Exotic Bait, is due out July 8th via Frenchkiss Records. In anticipation, it’s streaming in full below.
The three former tour-mates reunited during Willet and Maust’s recent trips to New York, randomly setting up shop in the studio of Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) early last winter. To capture that sense of immediacy, the trio would often record live together in one take. During the recording sessions, Willet became fascinated by a book of poetry by a 20th century monk. The monk’s views on social justice, pacifism, and Eastern religion became the basis of prose found throughout the 10-track album.
Is Exotic Bait finds the trio of alt-rock musicians centering on darker and more abstract musical concepts than they have with their parent projects. While Willet still hits his trademark piercing high notes, tracks like “Turn Or Burn” find him exploring the lower registers of his voice, often creating a much more haunting and morose sentiment. Maust’s super-fuzzed-out bass, paired with Warketin’s super sludgy drumming, focuses the album on a rolling, slow burn that rises and falls with emotion and tenacity.
Is Exotic Bait Tracklist:
01. 3 Friends
02. All The Way Down
03. (World In My) Bloodstream
04. Solitary Life
05. Miami U R About 2 B Surprised
06. Ambassadors Of General Electric
07. Turn Or Burn
08. Man The Master
09. Christmas Card
10. Clairvaux Prison
