Born during a creative retreat in a wooden cabin near Bordeaux in early 2024, the album emerged from a collaboration with guitarist and producer Jérôme Plasseraud (Alaaska, 1973). Nine English-language songs took shape on the banks of the Garonne—a luminous interlude that balances melancholy with rebirth, sorrow with light.
“I wanted to reconnect with my first loves: bare folk, clear melodies, with just guitar and voice to guide me,” Pain explains.
Recorded live with her longtime band—Jérôme Plasseraud, Oliver Smith, Alexis Anérilles, Raphaël Chassin, Mathieu Geghre, David Lewis, and Thibaut Barbillon—the album channels the stripped-back sincerity of Iron & Wine, Kings of Convenience, and Emilíana Torrini. Pain’s velvety voice has never sounded more enveloping, flowing through minimalist arrangements like water over stone.
Standout moments include: – “Cold Hands” – a magnetic duet with Brian Lopez (Calexico) – “Dreamloop” – a pop gem with shades of Velvet Underground – “Senden Daha Güzel” – a sensual cover of Turkish cult band Duman – “Bluer than Blue” – the opening ballad where darkness gently turns to dawn.
Written and produced by Pain under her own label Lucky13, ‘How and Why’ will be released under license from Capitane Records (Nicolas Michaux, Adam Green, Turner Cody) and distributed by Modulor.
After two decades as Nouvelle Vague’s defining voice, Pain has carved out a solo path marked by delicacy, poetry, and fearless intimacy. ‘How and Why’ is her most direct statement yet—a soothing, sunlit album that serves as the perfect vessel for her voice and words.
Featured image by Simon Vanrie.
SOURCE: Official Bio