The list of all the artists we think of while listening The Lord Of the Flies & Birds & Bees, TALK’s first album, could be long. Here it’s Imagine Dragons, there Freddie Mercury, further on Def Leppard, elsewhere a little something from Elton John, and so on. What do all these influences have in common? These are groups that create songs imbued with grandeur, focused on unifying choruses calibrated for large venues.
Artists who assume their ambition in this way are not so common. Neither do those who clearly display their sources. Curiously, even if we recognize choruses from Queen (History) or 1980s-style guitar solos in TALK songs, his way of picking things up everywhere isn’t that disturbing. In fact, even if originality is not often there, we are surprised to find something almost fresh in his arena pop-rock.
It’s down to an unstoppable sense of melody and the generosity exuded by the songs of the young man born Nicholas Durocher. His obvious charisma and his powerful voice also play a lot in his favor: we believe him, we want to follow him and we understand in advance all those people who will turn on their phones while raising their arms in the air in the rooms where he will propel his songs.
TALK doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it spins it. With conviction. Sometimes that’s all it takes. TALK sets foot on the pop planet with great confidence. His next step will have to have more personality for interest in him to last, but The Lord Of the Flies & Birds & Bees has enough pop gems and earworms to take this young artist very high.
Extract of History
ROCK
The Lord Of the Flies & Birds & Bees
TALK
Universal