Ears Wide Open: Le Pain

Matt Wallock on March 3rd, 2022

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Does “Le Pain” mean “the bread” or “the pain”? Does it matter? Le Pain have only released a handful of songs, but the L.A.-based quartet’s sound is remarkably well-formed: breezy, blissed-out, psych-skewing indie-pop that drifts between English and French, just as their name suggests.

On Tuesday, Le Pain, fronted by sisters Olivia and Madeline Babuka Black, dropped their third single, “Is That How You Want Me To Feel?” It’s another dose of gorgeous harmonies and glistening guitar parts. But lyrically, this song isn’t quite as sunny as it sounds on the surface: “A statue that was melting in the rain / Is that how you want me to feel? / At a party where nobody came / Is that how you want me to feel? / In a state of total disarray / Is that how you want me to feel? / Well I finally thought of something / But it was too sad to say.”

The sisters recorded their first batch of songs in their home studio, joined by Alan Everhart and Public Practice’s Scott Rosenthal. Fans of Beverly – Rosenthal’s former indie-rock project led by Drew Citron – will hear some common threads in dreamy melodies and retro flourishes. Madeline, meanwhile, is a Yucky Duster alum, which makes Le Pain something of a Brooklyn DIY supergroup in LA.

||| Stream: “Is That How You Want Me to Feel?,” “Obvious to You” and “Troisième Groupe”