It is difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of Gaétan Nonchalant. Should we look for them in Tokyo, where he first took to the stage at the age of 20? In Belgium, to which his surname—Vandenbussche—alludes? Or perhaps in Normandy, which he celebrated so elegantly in ‘Les plages du Nord’? Behind this carefree character and his poetry, which seems to defy gravity, the idea of an imaginary realm strikes us as the most plausible.

Having burst onto the scene six years ago with the EP Tout ça pour ça, and emerging on the French music scene as a curiosity as unexpected as it was endearing with his irresistible waltz ‘La Bérézina’, the musician has since consistently lived up to the promise of his early days. With Changement de programme, on which he sang ‘Champs de blés’ with Philippe Katerine, and his soft-rock hit ‘Les légumes’, he has established himself as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation.

He is finally returning this year with his second full-length album: Le Jazz, due out on 9 October on the highly stylish label Objet Disque (ARLT, Mocke, Grand Veymont).

Recorded at La Bergerie, a unique venue in the Corbières region, with Astrobal (producer for Laetitia Sadier, amongst others), this album marks a turning point in the Frenchman’s discography. The record exudes freedom, risk-taking and fun. His voice has changed: less high-pitched, more direct. You find yourself hearing the gentleness of a Pierre Vassiliu singing alongside Joni Mitchell (‘There’s a Bird’), or Véronique Sanson laying down a topline over a beat by Tyler, the Creator (‘Perdu de vue’).

An ambitious, playful and modern album featuring the cream of the crop of studio musicians such as Adrian Edeline (Sébastien Tellier), Vincent Guyot (Tricatel) and Michelle Blades (Pomme, Flavien Berger), as well as distinguished American guests and friends such as Aaron M. Olson (Tortoise, David Pajo).

With a subtle wit and disarming sincerity, her lyrics perfectly capture the ups and downs of our modern lives. As in the dizzying ‘1983’: ‘I’ll put my trust in winter. Trust… that’s all I have left” or on the moving ‘Le Vent’, “I followed the wind on the spur of the moment, I who was but a poor tightrope walker. ’

Ultimately, Gaétan Nonchalant invites us to see the world through his own telescope, a world where the mundane becomes fascinating, where detours are sometimes better than the destinations themselves.

We’d love to stay by his side, warming our hands and hearts for a few more songs.