Ten years ago, Latvian duo Domenique Dumont entered the indie world with Comme Ça – French pop somewhere between Air and Alizée, carried by Mediterranean lightness. Critics and audiences alike were instantly captivated. Vocalist Anete Stuce and multi-instrumentalist Arturs Liepins sketched out a genre of their own back then: Balearic pop with a retro twist.
Now Deux Paradis, their third album, has arrived – once again via Antinote. Seven years after Miniatures De Auto Rhythm, the loosely structured trilogy finds its conclusion. Musically, the duo stays true to their core: airy rhythms, Caribbean grooves, gentle dub, and vocals that float rather than lead – as if Khruangbin, Air, and Bob Marley had collectively discovered Japanese city pop. But where their early work thrived on curiosity, Deux Paradis feels like the carefully composed echo of an idea that has long taken shape.
»Visages Visages«, the only track with a club-ready beat structure, hints at a move toward neo-trance but remains reserved. As the album progresses, the sense grows that the original concept may have been fully explored. Deux Paradis fits seamlessly into the body of work of Domenique Dumont – light, elegant, beautiful – while lacking the element of surprise that once set everything in motion.
Deux Paradis
