The FM4 Soundpark Act of the Month for December is a Salzburg supergroup for which music – in the course of numerous therapeutic conversations – has become “a beautiful fringe benefit”.
Gentle voices herald the debut album of the musicians’ collective known as Bon Jour: it’s a chorus of liberation – and in the space of half a minute, “If I Let Myself Unwind” makes audible what can happen when you open yourself up.
Something wonderful is happening here. It’s music that offers hope, even when it deals with difficult subjects. Instead of hedonism, there’s transformation – even though the three musicians who met up in the studio to begin the project weren’t exactly comfortable talking about their feelings. But Mario Fartacek (Mynth), Dominic “Dodo” Muhrer (The Makemakes) and Leo-Constantin Scheichenost (Olympique) were so surprised by the ease and productivity of their first session that joy in the collaboration and the opportunity to encounter one another anew became possible. And then, of course, their first single, “Blue Moon”, shot straight to the top of the FM4 charts.
From Virtual Heads to a Real Band
One of the original trio’s basic principles was leaving their egos at the door. All three spent a lot of time in the music business and have struggled with ego problems more than once. But this time, it was about something different: the ease and lightness already mentioned, and having fun – with no specific goal or master plan for the outcome of the sessions. Hiding their identities while releasing their early songs wasn’t a marketing strategy but an attempt to work against the omnipresent, optimized presentation of the self in the pop business and social media. Initially, Bon Jour appeared visually as animated heads and in richly colored cartoon videos, attracting comparisons to the Gorillaz and landing them the moniker “Austria’s first virtual band” – even if it had nothing to do with their intention.
But that was the way they chose. A further approach that added to the relaxation in the production process was that the ‘space’ they created is open for experimentation. Change is desired. They write, record, and produce everything themselves and founded a label for the project – all of which allowed them to attain the freedom that inspires and maintain space to try things out. They even wrote a song about it: “The Lost Art of Trying” is an antidote to the perfectionism of our time, a plea for playfulness.
When Giovanna Fartacek (Mynth/Berglind), Omar Abdalla (Siamese Elephants), Julian Pieber (Good Wilson/Paul Plut) and singer-songwriter Amelie Tobien joined up, the initial electropop trio developed into a real band – without losing their freedom. Their sound grew more nuanced, the details lovingly poured into a pop-friendly format. Guitars flutter through the space, synth lines jump over supple beats, and the energy can flow unobstructed into whatever emotion it chooses.
Music as A fringe Benefit
The most incredible thing about Bon Jour’s story is that the “founding trio” was able to open up to one another during the first six months, personally and emotionally. They learned how to speak frankly and honestly about anything and everything. The emotional states during recording sessions ranged from “completely devastated” to “strong enough to move mountains” – often at the same time. These tensions, and the conversations they engendered, often gave shape to their best songs and lyrics.
In light of the quasi-therapeutic character of the sessions, the band has come to speak about music as “the most wonderful fringe benefit” of their work. The openness of their exchange, the time they’ve spent, and the various phases they’ve experienced together has made it possible for them to get to know one another afresh and at another level. The album title – Chapter 1: Growth – also refers to the feeling that Bon Jour’s collective journey will be a long and happy one. That first chapter has already resulted in remarkable inner growth.
Bon Jour hasn’t gotten stuck in the drama and difficult subjects, nor have they tried to numb or suppress negative feelings with hedonism. Even Leo-Constantin Scheichenost’s devastation at one of the session gave birth to the track “I Am Out” – a song that gives voice to the feeling that one’s life is falling apart but manages to look convincingly to the future and offer hope. When Leo listens to it today, he’s not pulled back into the desperate feeling he had – he has the feeling of having grown beyond it, being able to look back and see it for what it was: the beginning of a transformation.
Chapter 1: Growth combines all the musicians’ highs and lows – from break-ups to new love, from loss and sorrow to hope and fresh courage. “Timebomb” recognizes toxic relationship patterns; “Liberation” releases them and finds a way out. And there’s still room for a song like “All I Know”, which gives the listener the feeling of standing on the main stage on the beach at Barcelona’s Primavera Festival, watching the sun go down. For all its difficult phases, this first chapter is a thoroughly hopeful one in the end – and one already full of anticipation for Chapter 2.
Andreas Gstettner-Brugger, translated from the German original by Philip Yaeger.