Moaan Exis' career has been marked by change and questioning, as if the duo of Mathieu Caudron and Xavier Guionie were determined not to stagnate. After a more atmospheric and cinematic start, Moaan Exis embarked on a frantic race for intensity with their first album Transcendence in 2017, then incorporated vocals into their previously instrumental music and released the albums Postmodern Therapy and Necessary Violences in quick succession in 2019 and 2020. After releasing three albums in four years, Moaan Exis perhaps needed to take a breath: since then, we have been treated to several singles and various collaborations (with Noire Antidote, ESA, Moris Blak...), as if exploring new leads. The title of this EP, Unpredictable, could therefore apply to the project and its intentions: the only thing we can be sure of is that we're going to be shaken up in every way.
First surprise: none of the recent singles shared by the band, which already gave us a glimpse of new directions (notably Hypervigilance with its hand-drawn video and French vocals), appear on the EP. We embark on a journey of discovery with entirely new tracks, and the first impression that hits us is that Moaan Exis has found a new youth. It wasn't really “old people's music” to begin with, but there's a noticeable rejuvenation in their approach: the tracks are relatively short and seem to be in a state of perpetual explosion. An explosion of energy, of course, but also of structures, as Moaan Exis dabbles in several genres and mixes them together in a very contemporary movement of mutant musical hybridizations.
Techno, industrial, trap, electro-punk... And even a strangely rock ‘n’ roll guitar opening Time Bomb, Moaan Exis is having fun. Mathieu Caudron spits out all his rage as only he knows how, with fire in his belly. The rhythms go wild and take sharp turns to better lose us, everything seems to be racing by at full speed while heavy mid-tempos hit us in the back of the head. Aggressive rap/techno/industrial, the title track and Crown Shyness even embrace a slowness that increases their heaviness tenfold. During a slight, more contemplative pause, Moaan Exis reminds us that he is not just a demolition company but knows how to create depth, giving the listener just enough breathing space to accentuate the power of the impact. Unpredictable, in short.
Don't leave before the end: the final twist that we didn't see coming arrives with the last track. But just before that, Little Voices is the most energetic moment on the EP (we can't wait to see Xavier Guionie tear it up on drums during the live show, and we can already imagine Mathieu's jumping around like a maniac!), but even here, the relentless, aggressive machines give way in the final moments to a kind of mystical incantation. Finally, while we mentioned earlier how Moaan Exis seems to be evolving and modernizing, Oracle takes us back to an earlier time, to the era of this more atmospheric instrumental project. With its hypnotic loops and interplay of textures, this techno/ambient moment, which gradually thickens, imposes a threatening and suffocating apocalyptic atmosphere while offering us a form of respite. It almost feels like an introduction to something rather than the conclusion of the EP...
What if Unpredictable was just a taste of Moaan Exis' future follies? Let's trust what we've just heard: in which directions could the project rush in the future? Based on this EP, the answer is obvious: ALL OF THEM! The ones we already knew, but also some newer ones. Moaan Exis is a blazing fire of creativity whose appetite is as insatiable as ever. The identity is there, undeniable and recognizable, and the only thing we can be sure of is that we're going to be shaken up in every way!
