Stuffed Foxes (StolenBody/ReverseTapes) single+video 'MERRY XMAS' ahead of new LP

Tours-based post-psych and deep-shoegaze powerhouse Stuffed Foxes disclose Merry Xmas, the second single from their upcoming album Standardized, and its video. The album will be out on December 6th, 2024, via Bristol’s Stolen Body Records and French labels Reverse Tapes and Figures Libres.Merry Xmas was written at Bourges’ music venue Nadir, during the same sessions that gave birth to ‘Biting the Dawn’. These two tracks kick off the album, and while they share a common origin, they couldn’t be more different in feel. Merry Xmas began with a ternary rhythm and an almost danceable drum pattern, setting the tone for a track built around raw, unpolished guitars with minimal effects, and clashing with each other. They defy traditional harmonic and tonal structures in favor of something more visceral and direct. When Léo spontaneously began singing "I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," it instantly clicked. The lyric felt playful, unexpected, and perfectly in tune with the track’s rebellious spirit.

The video for Merry Xmas was directed by Flavie Herbreteau. On a sun-soaked beach, ultra-rich revelers indulge in an absurd Christmas feast. Shot on a camcroder at Guesclin beach in Saint-Coulomb, it adopts the aesthetics of a family film to capture their Christmas celebrations—a spectacle of excess, gluttony, and insatiable indulgence. The playful beginning quickly transforms into a biting satire on consumerism, as they devour everything in sight, including a whole Christmas tree, in a spectacle reminiscent of Villeneuve’s 2008 short ‘Next Floor’.

Songs / Revolving and Songs / Motion Return, a discographic diptych released in 2022, established Stuffed Foxes as accomplished ambassadors of the French rock scene. True to its predecessors, Standardized was recorded live in the Rennes studio of producer and musician Thomas Poli (Laetitia Sheriff, Dominique A). Mastering was entrusted to Matt Colton (Spiritualized, Swans, Shame).

Early on, the six members transformed their youthful camaraderie into an adventure, embracing communal living (sharing a leaky roof had to be an integral part of the ride) and diving into the underground with their label, Reverse Tapes, a source of endless exciting music. They also adopted a democratic approach to creation fueled by endless jams, with the sexted striving to compose together from the outset. It is from this collective spontaneity that the unique expression of their music is born: long, hypnotic tracks, swirling mists of noise, and moments of vocal urgency that should be experienced in person during their invariably cathartic and incendiary concerts. It is a band that strives to stay true to its ethos, its soul haunted but never enthralled by the ghosts of its musical ancestors and battered icons. Their influences create joyful chaos: the musical walls of noise of My Bloody Valentine, the No-Wave drones of Swans, the psychedelic vapours of Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Post- Shoegaze eclectism of Six-By-Seven.

Standardized opens with Biting the Dawn, a Noise elegy that builds with relentless intensity. Léo's recitative voice soars above a searing blend of saturated guitars and echo-drenched drums. Next, Merry Xmas unleashes sharp, incisive guitar riffs reminiscent of Gang of Four and Fugazi, only to surprise with a dramatic twist that builds to a breathtaking, soaring climax echoing the brilliance of Ride’s most epic moments. Rough Up emerges as a Velvet Underground-inspired ballad, built on two simple acoustic guitar chords and an organ, showcasing a more subdued and vulnerable side of the band. In contrast, Standardized plunges into a powerful trance, unleashing a massive, deliciously primal wall of saturation with raw, unfiltered intensity.

With Standardized, Stuffed Foxes appear to have reached an aesthetic milestone, transcending the semantics of the genres that once defined them. They have ‘de-standardized’ their sound and embraced a sense of freedom, opening up to the possibilities of a wider creative spectrum.

UPCOMING SHOWS

• 07.09.24 FR Morogues - Berry Social Club
• 24.10.24 ESP Tolosa - Bonberenea
• 26.10.24 ESP Barcelona - Fusiònica Festival
• 30.10.24 FR Clermont-Ferrand - Le Lieu Dit
• 02.11.24 FR Redon - Ile Fest
• 6.12.24 FR Tours - le temps machine
• 17.2.25 UK Bristol - The Lanes
• 18.2.25 Uk NORWICH - Voodoo Daddy’s
• 19.2.25 UK NEWCASTLE - Zerox
• 20.2.25 UK GLASGOW - Bloc
• 21.2.25 UK LONDON - Strongroom
• 23.2.25 UK Bristol - The Lanes
• 22.3.25 NL DORDRECHT - Doors