Inside electro pop band Rive's creative space

After two English-language projects in which they did try-outs in Paris and London, Juliette Bossé and Kévin Mahé finally seem to have found their musical home in the wistful, French-language electro pop of Rive. From their roof terrace in Sint-Gillis/Saint-Gilles they can see the horizon and the prospects of a first full album.

The duo, who are originally from Rennes in France, moved to Sint-Gillis/Saint-Gilles more than seven years ago, following a group of friends who had come to fulfil their dreams of comic strip illustrations at the Brussels art college Instituts St-Luc.

“In the early years, we all lived together and spent all our time together, but we have gradually gone our own ways here,” singer Juliette Bossé (32) tells us. "Brussels reminds of Rennes a little. Especially here in Sint-Gillis/Saint-Gilles, where there is a strong sense of community cohesion that sometimes almost seems like a village atmosphere. We felt right at home here almost immediately.”

We find ourselves in the bright, sun-drenched, and comfortably decorated top floor of the rented house where Rive was born. The door to the roof terrace, with views of the horizon, is wide open. Bisou, the cat with quite a temperament, wanders in and out. The stuffed tiger kitten is easier to control for the photoshoot.

“We used to organise regular fancy dress parties that were lavishly decorated, and we kept all the nicest objects, like these decorated branches,” Bossé explains with a laugh. “It makes a nice environment in which to work on our music. Kévin and I occasionally work on our music separately in our own rooms, but when you live under the same roof it’s much easier to get into discussion about certain tracks, and to try things out together. This way, things progress much more quickly than when you have only a few hours to rehearse in the evening.”

Division of labour
Bossé and drum teacher Kévin Mahé (35) met one another at university in Rennes, where they both studied sociology, and they have shared a long music career. Rive is their joint project with French lyrics. “Our career started in Rennes, where we played gigs with different bands at bars, concert halls, and festivals,” Mahé says. “Given that most of our influences were Anglo-American, it made sense to us to sing in English. We even lived in London for a while.”

But their long-awaited breakthrough never came, even with the later Juke Boxes duo project, during which they recorded an album under the auspices of an indie label in Paris. King Dying was eventually released in 2013.

“One result of this long backstory is that we understand one another very well now,” Bossé says. “We hardly ever have any conflicts and the division of labour is very clear: Kévin provides the percussion and works on the arrangements, and I write the melodies and lyrics. Because we can do whatever we want in our apartment, I can work on my vocals until I think they are perfect. I think that is important and it saves valuable studio time. We also recorded my guitar sections for our debut EP Vermillon here. We actually only did the mixing at Remy Lebbos’s Rare Sound Studio.”

Even their first music video, for the melancholy electro pop gem “Vogue” was made here by a former housemate. The subtle collage video by Julie Joseph is available on Vimeo, which selected the video to be its Staff Pick, and it has been viewed 136,000 times. It matches the dream-like, ethereal music perfectly.

“That success launched us,” Bossé explains. Or no, actually they first won the Du F. dans le texte music competition organised by the French Community. And last year, they were first laureate of FrancOff, the platform for young talent at Les Francofolies de Spa. During the festival season in the summer, they released the music video for “Justice”. With a design by the animation duo MaKé from the Temple Caché collective, the pair again opted for a collage that matches their music.

Feminist reflex
“Vogue” and “Justice” are perfect illustrations of what it’s all about for Rive: writing subdued and richly contrasting songs that subtly highlight the differences between men and women, acoustic guitars and electronic beats, and poetic texts and concrete statements. “We seek to leave something to your imagination while at the same time addressing important social themes,” Bossé explains. “‘Vogue’, for example, is very nuanced and poetic, but ‘Justice’ is harder, more concrete, and more socially engaged.”

The contrast actually already starts with their band name. “The riverbank separates the water, which moves and is mysterious, from the land, which is concretely anchored in society,” Bossé tells us. “Kévin’s drumbeats are firmly rooted, while my guitar, piano, and vocals flow.”

Textually, the singer often falls back on her feminist reflex. “I call it my daily bread. During my Master’s programme in sociology, I did a lot of research on gender inequality and I still write articles about it. The fact that this subject is mobilising more and more people is very reassuring because it indicates a certain societal progress, but there is still so much work to do.”

This is evident from the track “Nuit”, which reflects on the very important and influential feminist demonstrations in the 1970s, but which got a wry aftertaste following the Reclaim the Night event in February. “About 150 women came together for a pacifist and colourful march during which we intended to take back the city while singing. As a woman, you are confronted very often with how dangerous it is just to walk down the street, especially at night. It is a constant frustration."

"So we were absolutely gobsmacked when we were suddenly surrounded by police vans and some people got hit with truncheons. We took to the streets to protest that we should no longer have to be afraid, and were beaten by police officers who are supposed to protect us. As a white woman, I had never been confronted with such disproportionate violence before. So I have a much better idea now of what it feels like for people who have more experience with police brutality.”

> Rive. 21/09, 19.30 (Les Nuits du Soir: + Wuman, Sonnfjord, Faon Faon, Konoba, Alex Germys), Botanique, Sint-Joost-ten-Node