TRACK OF THE WEEK: Chic Gamine “Light A Match”

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Chic Gamine are a revamped, French-Canadian version of a classic girl-group: Three voices that sing in harmony, adding layer upon layer to one unwavering line, breaking off in separate tendrils before twisting together again. On their upcoming album, Light A Match, they’re taking the concept to a whole new level. Though they took a five year break between releases, it was spent evolving their sound, and finding a new collaborator in the Montreal producer Sébastien Blais-Montpetit. The band describes how the title track reflects this crucial point in their career: “’Light A Match’ is about that moment when you’re forced to decide what to do with the spark that is your life. Do you snuff it out or do you blow it into proportions undreamt of?”

Chic Gamine’s answer to that question is clear: turn that spark into a blaze. After a gentle intro, the song becomes intense, and a driving bass and marching snare build as the chorus dares listeners to play with fire: “You found hell looking for paradise/Light a match and watch it burn.”

Light A Match will be available on October 23rd. Check out Chic Gamine’s music video for “Light A Match,” where two cowboys play a high stakes game with memories instead of cards.