Mina Tindle – “Lions” & “Belle Pénitence”
In the first half of the ’10s, the Parisian songwriter Pauline De Lassus started a project called Mina Tindle. Her first two albums, 2012’s Taranta and 2014’s Parades, got their share of acclaim, but it’s now been a long six years since she’s released a collection. In the meantime, you might’ve heard her singing on the National’s I Am Easy To Find and touring with the band through last year. But now, De Lassus is finally returning with her third album.
It’s called Sister and it’ll be out in October via the ever-expanding and shape-shifting 37d03d collective. Mina Tindle has also been a fixture at recent PEOPLE festivals in Berlin, and Sister has an impressive array of friends involved. Thomas Bartlett produced it, with additional production from Sufjan Stevens — who also guests on the track “Give A Little Love” — and Bryce Dessner.
“With my first two records I was on a quest, searching for the meaning of life and love and absolutely everything, but in making this album I felt much more grounded,” De Lassus said in a statement. Apparently, motherhood was a major impact on her music between albums as well. “Instead of feeling nostalgic for the past or worried about the future, I’m living more fully in the present, and it makes all the colors feel deeper and more contrasted than they were before.”
Along with the announcement, De Lassus has shared two singles. One, “Lions,” is about how “you need to keep going, even if sometimes you feel like you’re just pretending to be brave. It’s all about the march.” The second is sung in French and called “Belle Pénitence”; it’s described as a love letter to Dessner, who is De Lassus’ husband. Both are soulful, autumnal bits of classic-sounding pop with little baroque elements. In each, De Lassus’ starts quiet, and spends the rest of the track weaving her voice around each new instrument — like she’s coaxing the songs up into these gorgeous, swelling conclusions. Check them out below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Jessa”
02 “Lions”
03 “Give A Little Love” (Feat. Sufjan Stevens)
04 “Indian Summer”
05 “Louis”
06 “Belle Pénitence”
07 “Fire & Sun”
08 “Triptyque”
09 “Is Anything Wrong”
Sister is out 10/9 via 37d03d.