/////////CIKATRI$

Space-synth keytar-prog in French from Stockholm, Sweden. CIKATRI$ is a collection of miniatures about memories, pain and impossible communication.

C’est pas d’l’amour c’est d’la rage. Cicatrice = scar. Keytar – space echo – theremin – stylophone – violin – Vague Noire, Malaise…

A total artwork —-Aurélie hails from France but only starts singing in French when moving to Sweden. A million tones and feelings mix in the back of her Tonmeister’s head, and in silence she starts writing down the first CIKATRI$ tunes. Voice is used as an instrument, words are just sounds, all is part of a greater project like a mini-version of a total artwork. An architect of her creative expression, Aurélie is also the technical mastermind behind the scenes, handling every aspect of the production – writing, producing, engineering, as well as designing and directing artwork and video.

The low-fi expression of an urgent feeling —- Using a keytar as the sonic nucleus, CIKATRI$ creates a relentlessly frenetic blast of songs that mix French sixties with Swedish garage and the rawer sounds of eighties synth. Pressed and released in December 2011 on Sax Records, the first EP “CIKATRI$ m’a tuer” captures the early energetic birth of the band that plays live around Stockholm and at Trästock Festival in Northern Sweden in 2012.

The second EP “Oui le deux non non non” shows more detail in production and composition, but the same emergency in expression. It is jointly released in April 2013 on Sax Records & Rundgång Rekords (Malmö), soon joining the first EP on record stores’ shelves and online distros across Europe and USA. Months go by and more songs pour out of the keytar. CIKATRI$’ third record “Aïe ! le trois” is pressed on double-7″ in December 2014, while the first song “Quand me réveillerai-je ?” is featured on La Souterraine, a free French underground pop compilation, and its video premieres on Noisey Scandinavia.

Keytar- avantpunk crosses the Atlantic —-CIKATRI$ is one of the Swedish acts that SXSW music director James Minor is most looking forward to at the official SXSW Music Conference in March 2015. A 2-week tour takes the band through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada for club gigs, showcases, on-airs, as well as inspiring encounters and atmospheres.

“The Texas EP” is a bonus cassette made exclusively for the band’s showcases at SXSW, and CIKATRI$ kicks off “Press Play series” at Imperial Valley Press in El Centro, CA. CIKATRI$ released a special video about this adventure, and is working on a forthcoming LP to be released on Mother of Pearl (El Paso, TX).

Space synth and 3D sound considerations —- Aurélie is composer and musician based at Elektronmusikstudion, and develops further experimentations with CIKATRI$’ new single “La Lumière”. Released on 10” blended vinyl with original artwork to solve in a cinematic puzzle, the B-side is an electronic remix presented in a three-dimensional audio version at a listening session at EMS, preceding the release party curated by HYMN on June 16th, 2016. A video of the evening live performance premiered on HYMN along with an interview.

In August 2017 the underground French constellation La Souterraine releases Cikatri$’s Mostla Tape, a collection of past, present and future sounds of the band, a time-capsule into unreleased, live or aired material. The next set of new songs is under construction under Aurélie’s 2017 and 2018 residencies.

press

“La Lumière” 10” single release party 2016: a video of the live performance premieres on HYMN along with an interview (in English here)

New video reviewed by Noisey: “…their music combines the sultry, sexy vocals of French songstresses from the 60s with a fuzzed out, lo-fi brand of Swedish garage rock. (…) already, the band has gained significant critical acclaim—they participated in SXSW 2015 and even toured around the Southern states for two weeks. Their latest video (…) is a dusty, dreamy window at the band traveling through the Southern states and playing SXSW 2015. Muted colors, cinematically banal American towns and desert landscapes float in front of you as the band takes the stage through a grainy lens. It’s seductively calm and trippy—which is a fitting ambience match to the song. “La Lumière se courbe” is woozy and wailing, yet sensual. It juxtapozes the wobbly, fuzzed-out stoner sounds of classic psychedelia with the vintage, soulful vibe of French songstresses your mother probably listens to. As Aurélie croons about returning to darkness and disappearing, you might as well sink into her French spell and ride away with her into the desert sun.”

“…It’s physically impossible to look like a badass while playing a keytar. Unless you’re Aurélie Ferriere, of course. (…) At times, the blonde, dark shades-sporting chanteuse resembled a Francophone cross between Nico and Penelope Houston, unflinchingly cool yet dramatically deranged when the song called for it.”Cikatri$’ second official showcase at SXSW reviewed on the Austin Chronicle

Swedish review by HYMN

Cikatri$ kicks off Press Play video series at Imperial Valley Press in El Centro, CA

Cikatri$ live on air at 5432..fun! radio show in Santa Barbara, CA.

Cikatri$ tips at SXSW 2015 in Gaffa

“Close your eyes and picture the coolest band in the world, what would they be like? How about a Swedish garage rock band with post-punk guitar riffs, fuzzy bass, and a Debbie Harry lookalike who sings in French whilst rocking the keytar? Well that’s exactly what CIKATRI$ are, and new record The Texas EP, released to support their appearance at SXSW, is packed with indie rock hooks and keyboard/guitar showdowns. It’s terrific stuff and reason enough to make Aurélie our this month’s Keytar Hero! …and that’s before we get onto her stylophone and theremin playing as well as their merch options of tote bags and temporary tattoos, which are all kinds of awesome. Check out all four CIKATRI$ EPs now before they outgrow the underground.” Robynwrites

“CIKATRI$ is a true diamond in the rough. With a sound that defies classification they do essentially whatever they want. Lovely noise permeates the entire collection. Vocal delivery gives the songs a sense of decadence. By taking on this approach CIKATRI$ at times feels quite romantic.

Hyperactive at times the work blasts through with a style reminiscent of Stereolab’s early work, when they were into distortion, before they went into clean perfect tones…” Beachsloth

“I don’t know French but I know a fast song when I hear one, and French/Swedish band CIKATRI$’s “Quand Me Réveillerai-je ?” fits the category pretty well. Just put a wig on and get that keytar going. The song is taken from the band’s upcoming third EP Aïe !, which like their previous releases probably will be pretty super extra low-fi, just the way we like it.” Noisey

Review in CrossRadar

“Dans les années 90, les compilations La Souterraine seraient certainement parues sous le label Lithium qui avait lancé des “petits” groupes comme Oslo Telescopic, Diabologum, Da Capo, Mendelson, Holden ou des artistes comme Dominique A, Jérôme Minière, Bertrand Betsch ou Delaney. “Tous les soirs, dans le noir, les fantômes de mes souvenirs se penchent sur moi”. Dés les premiers mots de “Quand me réveillerai-je” c’est à Delaney que j’ai pensé, puis les guitares et keytars rageurs m’ont emmenés vers Oslo Telescopic, pour finir dans le punk-rock alternatif français du début des années 80. Cikatri$ prétend faire du “punk français à destination exclusive des punks suédois”, mais leur univers est bien plus étendu. Vivement une distribution en France !” ChloroPhil, Popnews

“…my ears…dear readers…they still managed to pick up on quite a bit and have the most unreal & incredible audio-experience listening to Cikatri$. I’m not the only one either; this band has an extraordinary buzz coming from more than just their amplifiers – they’ll be featured at infamous SXSW in two official showcases this very March. And with good reason! This music packs an incredible punch and really has a lasting impact. (…) Track number three…as I mentioned…was something altogether unexpected. It’s a short little-ditty…and the first time it managed to fly by my eardrums without me actually catching WHAT I was listening to. “Tombée Amoureuse,” sung in French of course, is still unmistakably “Fell In Love With A Girl” by the White Stripes…and what an extraordinary cover. With an anti-punk, melodic & string-infused opening, this rendition begins subtly before exploding into a ferocious punk that would make Jack White grin with pride…” SleepingBag Studios

“…The band has a way of mixing noise, punk, and pop sensibilities to create a serious garage punk style that you are not going to find with many bands. As you listen to their latest double 7” record, you are completely enthralled with the silky smooth vocals and frenetic pacing of the guitar, drums, and bass. Oh, let’s not forget the keytar which is used prominently here. The record pushes through a lot of great nose and fuzz on the way to delivering a truly unique experience.” SellOutRecords Blog

Video release on Videostatic

Cikatri$ in BagelRadio show

“…postpunk på franska med Cikatris, en bäbisskär vinyl-ep, sex korta låtar med både tempo, mer tempo och, om man får säga så, ren chanson (…) – melodier utan hejarramserefränger, men de sitter kvar ändå, en utmärkt skiva, som om Garbochock bytt språk och börjat lira sina lp-skivor på 45 varv. Typ.” Nya Upplagan

“RATING: 8.9/10 – TOP TRASH // Swedish punk sung in French reviewed by an American writer. Globalization’s nuts. I know maybe 10 words in French, so I’ve no clue what they’re singing about, but it’s fast, it’s catchy, and it’ll get you moving. The band makes use of keytar, giving them a really strong LOST SOUNDS vibe, but it’s not used as a gimmick or a LOOK AT US – it’s just another instrument, put to excellent use on tracks like “Remords,” shooting the track through with some awesome squiggly Atari vibes. The song instantly burrows into your skull, even if you haven’t got the faintest clue what it might be about. This 84 second rager is over before you blink, but this veers into the utterly inexplainable “Le Voleur de Chaleur.” This track opens with a minute-long ye-ye detour – FRANCOISE HARDY vibes abounding, before dropping into a wasteland of fuzz as the party is suddenly crashed by ripping hardcore. Next comes “La Vague Noire,” a mid-tempo song adorned by spoken vocals. The Game Boy sonic aesthetic works here really well. The keytar is immediately recognizable and adds to the music, but also shares space with the guitar on tracks like “Questions.” The point is: Keytars aren’t a novelty here. It’s used to the same efficacy as any other instrument, and all 6 songs on this are winners.” Waxtrash

“… an exotic combination of sexy French vocals, mixed in with a concoction of 60’s lo-fi Swedish garage rock. (…)…a dreamy recollection of the band’s time touring around Southern states, and debuting at SXSW in 2015. Aurélie’s vocals lure you in as she sings in French, in this trippy yet explosive beautiful composition. Rare vocal energy is joined alongside psychedelic squeals from the guitars and feedback and suddenly you’re thrown into the bad part of the trip. However not all is lost as you’re transported back into the monged out state, guided by Aurélie’s enticing vocals.” TightBlueJeans

“Ett band som lirar punk med bland annat en keytar och lagom oortodox approach till hur punk bör och ska låta, vilket är intressant i dessa tider då det finns mycket likriktning.” Invisible Guy

“Explosiva korta punklåtar sjungen på franska fyllde hela Folkhemmet på lördagen. Jag höll på att missa dem totalt, men vips stod jag och gungade fötterna till Remords. Det är ju också det här som är toppen med Trästock, att man hittar nya härliga grupper där man minst väntar det.” Linnea Hedelilja

Cikatri$’ Hammock video session at Trästock festival