Agar Agar

‘The duo proved themselves an act to watch in 2018 thanks to Bultheel’s electronic shoegaze instrumental and Cappagli’s evocative vocals’. - FACT Magazine

‘Clara Cappagli and Armand Bultheel are pushing the electronic scene in interesting directions with their haunting melodies and infectious loops’ - METAL Magazine

‘On a mission to steal your heart with their catchy future-pop sounds’- i-D

‘They are masters at pushing the boundaries of expectation, utilising synth pop beats and surreal soundscapes’ - Line of Best Fit

French electro-pop duo Agar Agar’s much anticipated sophomore album ‘Player Non Player’ is being released today via Cracki Records. The new album takes us on a journey through rich, experimental and retro synth soundscapes and ethereal and tongue-in-cheek vocals, Clara Cappagli and Armand Bultheel make music that is at once playful and thought provoking. 

An ethereal introduction to the album, ‘Grass’ is filled with waves of bright and resonant synths, and dance-inducing basslines underneath dark lyrics. Following this is their second single of the year ‘The visit’ lays a bed of hypnotic, driving basslines, letting sparkling synths dance playfully over the top. Clara’s cool yet captivating vocals question the notion of personal space and strangers intruding into your private life. Next is lead single ‘Trouble’ which marked the triumphant return with their trademark oddball pop full of sizzling synths and captivating vocals. Following this is ‘Odile’, a tranquil and rhythmical piece complete with synthesised saxophone tones and haunting repeated vocals from Clara, who asks ‘What’s the point?’. ‘Dragon’ is dark and magical, experimental layering of harmonic vocals and cybernated vocal effects. ‘Dragonlie’ is a haunting love song that recalls images of dark city nights, with spoken word and reverberating, wobbly bass lines.

‘Crave’ marks the start of the second half of the album, an industrial and computerised track with experimental synth sounds and discordant harmonics that build in tension into a screaming vocal line that abruptly ends the track. ‘Fake names’ builds on the dark, digital tone of the album, but the following track ‘No Pressure’ adds contrast with a eccentric, upbeat track recalling retro video game soundtracks with layers of vocal effects. ‘Dude on horse’ is bizarre and surreal, complete with Japanese-language verses that lead into the repetitive chorus, ‘A dude on a horse with no horse’. The penultimate ‘Plaine’ is a rich, layered and expansive instrumental piece, and the final song ‘It’s Over’ brings the album to a melancholic and musically complete end.

Agar Agar formed when Clara and Armand met at art school in Paris. Since then, the pair have gone on to make a name for themselves as one of the most exciting acts in a new wave of French exports. The duo released their debut album ‘The Dog and The Future’ in 2018 on hip French Label Cracki Records to wide acclaim and 100m+ global streams. 

A strong visual identity has always been integral to Agar Agar from album art, videos and live shows. For ‘Trouble’ the band have worked work with video game programmer and designer Jonathan Coryn on the music video. ‘The Visit’ sees another return to form with a unique lyric video and animation. Agar Agar will release their new album in 2023 and plan to bring out a fully playable video game with fans already having had the chance to play a demo version at recent shows in London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Istanbul and Paris.