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Suarez Is the Vampire Weekend of French Pop

Lovely French Pop music from the French band Suarez is today’s feature.

Suarez makes me think of Vampire Weekend, because their inspiration comes from eclectic sources. First of all, this acoustic pop band is an unlikely combination of a Belgian musician, Marc Pinilla, and three folk musicians from Madagascar (brothers Max and Pata Randriamanjava, and their cousin Dada Ravalison.) As if that weren’t unique enough, what they play is a distinctive melange of Malagasy music, British Pop, Cape Verdean folk, and French Chanson. Whew!

French Bands Who Sing in English

Photo of Pony Pony Run Run by Mathieu Zazzo

I get a lot of queries on the French Music Blog about French bands who sing in English. I haven’t posted about it before now because I don’t really consider it French music if it’s not in French. But I’ll oblige since some of my faithful readers are interested.

It’s a little weird to me that people are specifically seeking out English speaking French bands. To me, a good band is a good band – I don’t get why the band’s nationality even matters if they’re just gonna sing in English. Perhaps people are simply looking for the next Phoenix.

Whatever the case, there are a lot of great English-singing French bands, and I’ll profile a few of them at your request. Here are some French bands who perform in English.

After you check out with these bands, don’t miss French Bands Who Sing in English, Part 2.

PMs Better

PMs Better (Pop Music is Better) is a bouncy young band from Lyon, France, that sings in English. Barely out of their teens (actually, I’m not sure if all of them are), they have two EPs under their belt full of catchy, melodic Rock songs. Here’s “Little Little Choirs” from their latest EP,
Animals’ Wasted Youth.

Buy PMs Better on Amazon >>

The Tellers

The Tellers are technically Belgian, but they’re French speaking, so I’m throwing them in. They draw a lot of comparisons to The Libertines (their main influence), The Kooks, and other Brit rockers. There’s latest album, Close the Evil Eye (produced by The Strokes’ producer, Gordon Raphael) is getting rave reviews in France and Belgium. (It has yet to be released in the U.S.)

Here’s “Memory,” from their first album Hands Full of Ink.

Get The Tellers on iTunes >>

Pony Pony Run Run

Pony Pony Run Run is a French electro-pop band that performs in English, and their fun, danceable songs really get the feet moving. (“Hey You” even made it onto my workout playlist.) Though 2009 saw the reign of another French band, Phoenix, the dance crowd took notice of Pony Pony Run Run and embraced their infectious album, You Need Pony Pony Run Run.

Get Pony Pony Run Run on iTunes >>

Buy Pony Pony Run Run on Amazon >>

Hey Hey My My

The French band Hey Hey My My was founded by Paris natives Julien Garnier and Julien Gaulier, who met in Business school in Bordeaux. The band is heavily influenced by the Beatles and Neil Young (whose famous song the band takes their name from). Here’s “We’re Not Meant to Last” from their album A Sudden Change of Mood.

Get Hey Hey My My on iTunes >>

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