They became international stars during that process, selling out all 108 shows in their 25-country run in support of 2021’s beloved Tako Tsubo. They dazzled at Outside Lands, Coachella, and with a capacity crowd in a Mexico arena.

They won prestigious French prizes and had several songs—“Vanille fraise”, “Agitations tropicales,” “Peur des filles”—climb into the streaming stratosphere.  But after two successful albums and all the acclaim, there was still one thing L’Impératrice was missing: a record where they made every decision, a set of songs that truly captured the band’s spirit both onstage and off.

And so, they decided to make exactly that by themselves, with a little help from an exciting set of new friends. After wrapping their sets at Austin City Limits in October 2022, the band began jamming in Texas, hatching the first ideas of what is now “Pulsar”, their third album and the most sweeping and forthright representation yet of what L’Impératrice is and can be.

In those early days of the “Pulsar” sessions in late 2022, L’Impératrice tried a novel approach, splitting into two teams of ever-interchanging members to explore new ideas. It was a way of incorporating every voice into writing like never before. After all, every member of L’Impératrice—de Boisseguin excepted, as he will admit with a ready laugh—is a well-schooled musician, pulling from idiosyncratic upbringings and enthusiasms.

Throughout these 10 songs, L’Impératrice espouses the rare willingness to be real about life and its woes while also sounding like a perfect picture of joy. As L’Impératrice made “Pulsar”, they struggled with the question of every artist everywhere: Is it better to have a deadline that expedites the creative process, or is it better to let things linger, to spend as much time as you need in pursuit of the right idea? They are still playfully divided on this issue, but they know that their tight deadline was a boon here, prompting a collision of logistical circumstances that helped capture their ambition, experience, and confidence in less than 40 minutes.

“Pulsar” is a focused but far-reaching record, the jubilant testament of a band with plenty to say and the skills to say it themselves.

TIMETABLE:
19:00 DOORS
19:30 ROYA
21:00 L’IMPÉRATRICE ON STAGE