Canadian songwriter and vocalist C.A.R. aka Chloé Raunet releases her third album, ‘Crossing Prior Street’, on Ransom Note Records on the 27th of March. Full of bruised but ultimately hopeful electronic art pop, the album tells Chloe’s story of escaping a broken childhood in Vancouver, and finding her way to the lonely streets of East London, at the tender age of 16.
Today, we debut her new single ‘Distraction’ melding minimal drum machines with subtle synth flourishes and spinning almost mechanical vocal refrains that speak to being entwined with someones heart. There are hints of OMD and La Roux about this mysterious cold wave cut.
“The one time in my life I lived alone, it was on a street called Prior. I was halfway through my teens and the place had lasting impact. This was a tiny, creaky flat, high in the eaves of an old wooden townhouse. Damp and cold, run down, sparsely furnished. Bare bulbs dangled from the ceiling, eyeing up the midnight visitors who’d come knowing at my fire escape. I’d let them in and lie limp as they crawled all over me. Thin mattress on the floor, welcoming whatever company I could get.”
An endorsement of the personal journey, ‘Crossing Prior Street’ is the sound of Raunet reconciling different sides of herself emotionally, artistically and sonically. The sparse production of minimal elements gives the album a direct punch. Booming drum machines, dissonant cold wave, skewed post punk and esoteric pop juxtapose but join in strange and interesting ways. Chloé cites this clash as a defining characteristic of the album, which was equally catalysed by her love of raw machine music and the catharsis of song.
Chloé Raunet cut her teeth fronting the band Battant. which came to a sad end following the death of bandmate Joel Dever. She has since released a handful of singles and a debut album, ‘My Friend’, for Kill The DJ. This was followed by a move to Ransom Note, and a second LP called ‘PINNED’
A self-trained musician, Raunet writes, composes and produces everything on her own. She has provided a combination of vocals, co-production and co-writes for Trevor Jackson, Andrew Weatherall, Gesaffelstein. Marc Houle, Maceo Plex, Ivan Smagghe, Red Axes, Krikor, Padded Cell, Suzanne Kraft, Teleman, Rupert Cross, Mount Kismet and Get A Room.
A formidable list of artists have remixed C.A.R., including Rroxymore, Peaking Lights, Michael Mayer, Bawrut, Marcus Worgull and Roman Flügel,
Big European venues C.A.R. has played include Berghain and Le Bataclan. She has performed at Nuits Sonores and was invited to be part of the Red Bull Music Festival Moscow, where she created a bespoke audio-visual show and collaborated with Simple Symmetry.
Raunet also DJs and co-hosts a fortnightly show on NTS Radio called ‘239EF’ (formally Latete Atoto).
Live dates:
Feb 29 – Solarium, Berlin
Apr 07 – Sebright Arms, London
Apr 08 – YES Basement, Manchester
Apr 10 – Flying duck, Glasgow
Apr 24 – Hotel 71, Lyon
Aug 01 – Garbicz Festival, Poland
Aug 6/9 – Houghton Festival, UK
