Multituderelease date: Mar. 4, 2022
format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Stromae
label: Mosaert Label / Universal - nationality: Belgium
Track highlights: 1. "Invaincu" - 2. "Santé" - 3. "La Solassitude" - 4. "Fils de joie" - 5. "L'enfer" - 8. "Riez" - 9. "Mon amour" - 10. "Déclaration"
3rd studio album by Stromae following almost 9 full years after Racine Carrée (Aug. 2013) - a time of both international acclaim and personal turmoil. Stromae went on long tours in the US and in Africa, and then had to pull the plug from performing to recover again. Apparently, he suffered from anxiety and spent a long time rethinking his career. He only resurfaced again in 2021 with his first single from this album, the song "Santé".
Racine Carrée was a step forward from a promising debut and was a massive success - it's really no wonder that the skyrocketing success he has experienced is something that may be more than overwhelming, and with Multitude he not only does it again - he simply takes another step forward. The single "L'enfer" was played everywhere, and I first thought of it as merely another pop song, but it's so much more than just that. Stromae himself is the result of a mixed marriage, but his musical style is a gigantic mix of Euro-pop, American R&B, African and Asian popular music, AND with obvious bits of folkore from all over the world - yet, his music is styled to just fit his expression. All the global influences are destilled into a personal and strict sound that doesn't make you question its coherency.
At first, I found the album contained 2-3 great songs, but soon they kept surfacing, and here at the end of the year, I think of it as one the best albums of the year.
[ NME 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,0 / 10 stars ]
