Politique

NEW ALBUM "SECRET SHOCK" OUT NOW ON iTUNES!



"Meet Me After Dark" single on iTunes August 31!



The new album from Politique, “Secret Shock”, is all about the electric spark hiding beneath the surface of our chaotic lives.
And it almost didn’t get made!



Its been two years filled with shows, festivals, writing, editing, re-writing, babies(!),marriage,
arguing, fighting, falling in love, going mad - all the right angles for intense songs! In the barrage of life taking over, it was a small miracle the album saw the light of day…



After leader Roland wrote 25 - odd tracks, the Ottawa foursome sliced it down to 12 - agreeing there was no point repeating the more raw, indie sound of the first album - it was time for a radical departure.



With Mallory Giles' icy - glass vocals casting a gorgeous sheen over beat-heavy electro production, and a focus on timeless songs, "Secret Shock" became a charged electro/synthpop catharsis, with its soul on the dancefloor, and its heart somewhere in space. The mood became dark, sensual, yet bouyant and hook-filled.



Prior to the recording, the band was extremely busy on the live front, hitting stages in Montreal, Toronto, The Drake, Zaphods, and in July 2009 having the honour of playing the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest.
2010 saw Politique sharing the stage with Youg Galaxy, Small Sins, M-83, Winter Gloves, Ruby Coast, Hey Ocean, etc.
Their debut, "Politique" was released in 2008 on Digital Zen and received praise and airplay on the strength of tracks like "Beat The Retreat" and "Old War Cold War" - it set the stage for the synth onslaught which was to come!!



Pre Politique BIO:



Roland headed up LIQUIFIED from 1999-2001, releasing 2 albums of loungy-electronica on various labels. After this came a period of studio work and 12" releases, the most notable being a
remix for the Cure of "The Same Deep Water As You" on Bonzai Records in 2005.
After a few years of DJ'ing, Roland started writing for the Politique project in 2006



REVIEWS:



NOW Magazine, 2010:
Ottawa electro rock quartet Politique are definitely onto something. Their glossy synth-centred pop is stadium-sized, and most songs arrive at a solid hook sooner or later.
“Politique” makes you expect political music, which this isn’t. Album title Secret Shock would actually make a better name for these fun, retro-leaning dance rockers.
In terms of songs, the killers are standout the Madonnaesque title track or the Bloc Party guitars on Mechanism.
Top track: Secret Shock.



SPINNER.CA:
This bubble-pop baby raised on tech house and '80s new rave will bring the house down with their catchy indie-electro beats -- and wear out your dancing shoes!!



EXCLAIM! Nov. 2010
If there's one thing you can safely assume about Roland Marckwort, it's that he knows exactly how he wants to sound. Secret Shock (the debut from Ottawa, ON synth slicers Politique) has keyboardist/writer Marckwort crafting a dozen tossed-hair, glazed-over-stare, mannequin-posed tracks. On songs like "Secret Shock" and "Expose," vocalist Mallory Giles comes off as both apathetic and obsessive, working off contained rhythms that find beats tumbling over icy slick synth-lines the whisper/rap of "Love Catastrophe" and dense, candied heart production and polyrhythmic breakdowns of "Saved in a Fire" show the four-piece moving toward that moment when image and essence meet. One might ask if Politique have what it takes to become the next Metric, but by the sounds of Secret Shock, it's apparent Politique want to be more than just "the next" anything.



EXCLAIM, July 2008
"This Ottawa foursome gives their electro pop compositions bounce - there’s a slinky swagger to these proceedings that, live, would definitely light up a dance floor. “Fragility Is Not Frailty” is the most rock-based thing here and it pulls together elements of indie and a dash of dark ’80s post-punk, while “Loveless” is the most enjoyably frenetic, with its smattering of bloopy sounds and intense cymbals. Politique also recall Metric’s finer moments on the addictive “She Makes My Mind Smile.”



Ottawa Citizen, 2008
"With a beat base, the 11 songs on Politique's self-titled debut draw a line to Blondie, Stars and Controller.Controller, tipping hats to New Order and My Bloody Valentine along the way.Thanks to countless singles (songs) and duos (people) that have melded dance beats with rock, musical snobberies have fallen by the wayside - Politique makes for a kind of jagged sound that is textured, referential and wholly sweet on the ears.
It's not bad for dancing, either!"



Apt613.com
"Politique’s peppy, danceable, retro-influenced brand of electropop is the brainchild of former DJ Roland Marckwort (Politique’s bassist, who previously lent his synth skills to house project Liquified). Roland’s creative juices are currently stirred by Mallory Giles (vocals), Etienne Sylvain (drums) and Richard Bennett (guitar), whose explosion of combined talents propelled Politique to local stardom almost overnight. Roland and Mallory share vocal duties, layering consistently thoughtful lyrics over sexy synths, addictive beats and resonant guitar riffs.
Politique’s live shows have quickly earned the group a reputation for their high energy and their great relationship with the crowd. Thankfully for impatient fans, their as-yet-untitled second album has been simmering for a while, and rumour has it that the disc will be massive. At last count, the band had almost twenty tracks in the running for inclusion on their sophomore release."