Chris was a tremendous commercial and artistic breakthrough for
Christine & the Queens' Héloïse Létissier -- and, as
La Vita Nuova shows, she's not done yet. True to her art, she continues to push herself on this EP, transmuting the bold energy of her previous album into a moodier and more reflective set of songs. It's a risky move to begin
La Vita Nuova with its slowest song, but it pays off: "People, I've Been Sad" generates as much heat and excitement with its flowing melody and outpouring of emotion as Létissier did with Chris' kinetic pop. She allows herself to let out some of the sorrow she braced herself against on that album, and on "Mountains (We Met)," the song's tumbling beats feel like her toughness falling away. On each of
La Vita Nuova's songs, she discovers new layers to Chris' danceable yet deeply emotional approach by combining it with the graceful sounds and tender moods of her debut album, Chaleur Humaine. With the muscular beats and airy synths of the standout "Je Disparais dans Tes Bras," Létissier makes heartache and doubt seem almost appealing. She's just as eloquent on that song's English-language sister "I Disappear in Your Arms," the Spanish-English hybrid "Nada," and the EP's title track, a simmering duet with
Caroline Polachek in Italian. However Létissier phrases it,
La Vita Nuova is a fine complement to the Chris era. ~ Heather Phares