CATHEDRALE

French post-punk quartet Cathedrale share single ‘Where The Fire Is’ taken from Poison their fifth album, set to be released on February 14, 2025 via French indie labels Howlin’ Banana Records and Regarts.

With four critically acclaimed albums and a several tours across Europe (with Osees, Frustration, Rendez-Vous...), Cathedrale have firmly established themselves as a cornerstone of the French independent music scene. Neither fully garage rock or power pop anymore, yet not entirely post-punk, the Toulouse-based quartet has carved out a unique identity over the years, crafting a sound that is undeniably their own.

'Where The Fire Is' was recorded live at Chez Nini Studio in Brussels with producer Mathieu Versini. Oscillating between light and shadow, calm and tension, the song showcases the band’s signature sound with its relentless rhythm section and sharp, menacing guitars. It delves into the need to isolate oneself, to escape the outside world. Yet, in this isolated space, racing thoughts emerge, leading to an even deeper sense of anguish. The song captures the duality between the sought-after refuge and the internal torment that intensifies in silence.

This state of inner conflict is one augmented by the accompanying black-and-white video, featuring unused footage from the short film « Fuir le Temps » (which translates to Escaping Time), directed by Marie Léa Regales and Jean-Mathieu Massoni. The video follows a woman confined in a cave, as she gradually loses her sense of space and time, perfectly mirroring the song’s themes.

The directors explain their collaboration with Cathedrale: 'We were deeply inspired by the idea of an inner battle portrayed in Cathedrale's song Where The Fire Is, as well as the constant interplay of shadow and light. The cave symbolizes this inner space—mysterious and inhabited by wandering souls—where everything seems calm, yet anything could resurface from the depths of darkness. Caves have been visited since the dawn of humanity for spiritual and ritual purposes, and it is this connection that we tried to express here in a more contemporary vision of this subterranean journey.'

Cathedrale's fifth album Poison will be released on February 14, 2025, via the French indie labels Howlin’ Banana Records and Regarts. Recorded and mixed at Chez Studio Nini (Brussels) with producer Mathieu Versini, Poison represents the apex of Cathedrale’s evolution — a collection of thirteen tension-filled tracks where sharp, omnipresent guitars intertwine with synths, a feature first introduced on their previous album, Words / Silence (2023), which now takes center stage, injecting a newfound darkness into the band’s compositions. The quartet offers a powerfully introspective exploration, making Poison their most intimate, darkest, and richest record yet, where shadow and light coexist.