Normandie Wilson’s 7″ single Saturday Night Girl/Paper and Pencil definitively announces her arrival as the bohemian glamour girl of the indie scene. Her refreshingly wide eyed take on 60′s pop has been pressed into this playful A & B side, the physical nature of this release only adding to it’s nostalgic appeal.
Recorded in only a few takes on analog tape, Wilson’s vintage boss nova single “Saturday Night Girl” effortlessly taps into the golden age of disco lounge while conjuring modern songbirds like Fiest and Regina Spektor. What Normandie describes as a “low key record made with friends who love to make good music” serves as both an enchanting dance groove and a reminder of how cool and rare it is to hear a real performance, so full of life and color it wouldn’t feel out of place on the soundtrack to Boogie Nights.
The Party friendly A-Side is met with the sobering “Paper and Pencil”, a wistful brill building like ballad, turned on its head by Normandie’s unconventional songwriting and innocent delivery. This is an intimate peek into Normandie’s world, revealing her strikingly unique talent with just her voice and Boston baby grand piano.
Performing is Normandie’s lifeblood. She has toured the US and UK and at the moment she is bouncing around France in true cosmopolitan fashion, probably playing an impromptu show wherever she can find a bar with a piano. Iconic artist such as Cole Porter and Joni Mitchell used similar stomping ground to craft their masterpieces and Normandie is definitely following their lead.
Things are certainly looking promising for Wilson’s full length due later this year and for now, we have her single to quench our retro itch. So give it a spin, put the needle to the record (if you don’t have a physical, get one) and tap into that yesteryear of early recording. No pretensions, no auto tune, no overdubs… just great music.
