Picture a chilly rehearsal space in 2020, just a stone’s throw from the bustling streets of Paris. It’s here that PRUNE 99 begins—not with a grand vision, but with something as simple as a vacant slot in a practice room and a shared love for melancholy melodies. Guillaume, the bassist, throws the idea out to Gauthier and Amelie: Why not jam together? From the ghostly echoes of Gauthier’s solo project Scepticisme, the seeds of PRUNE 99 are sown.
As the world shut down, the trio found solace in their music, deciding to reset their musical journey. Their goal was clear: to craft slow, shoegazy tunes that captured the depth of their shared experiences. By late 2021, with venues reopening, the real journey began. Florian, a drummer who had just started his own hardcore band, Cohésion, was the missing piece they’d been searching for. His addition was a stroke of fate—shared musical tastes are rare, and they seized the moment.
The group’s eclectic background—from Guillaume’s garage rock days to Florian’s stint in modern metalcore, and even Gauthier’s adventures in black metal—paints a rich blend of influences. This diversity breathes life into their music, creating a sound deeply rooted in ’90s dream pop and modern shoegaze, with a hint of American emo nostalgia.
By December 2023, PRUNE 99 was ready to lay down their tracks, so they retreated to the snowy French Alps into a cottage owned by Edouard Lebrun’s family. Edouard, known for his work with JEAN JEAN and O D Y S S E E, not only recorded their sessions but also mixed their debut EP amidst his own bustling schedule. As the final touch, they enlisted Norman Nietzsche, the master behind works like GoGo Penguin and The Whitest Boy Alive, to master their EP.
Their new single, “My Eyes Won’t Open,” epitomizes their emotive, intimate sound—dreamy, chorus-driven guitars blended with heartbreaking vocals and an underlying intensity. It’s a track about the struggle to let go of lingering pain, crafted with a melody that captures the claustrophobia of emotional entrapment.
“It talks of the difficulty of letting go in painful situations that don’t find any end, it has a repetitive structure and melody that really emphasize the kind of closeness one can feel when trying to escape painful moments. ” – shares the band.
PRUNE 99’s connections stretch beyond their own music. Florian’s involvement with Cohésion, known for their politically charged metalcore, and Gauthier’s brief tenure with Apart from Normandy, an emo band reminiscent of The Hotelier, showcase their integration into the broader French music scene. And not to forget Pencey Sloe, the pioneers of dreamy music in Paris, whose collaborative efforts with Sorcerer underline the vibrant, ever-evolving shoegaze landscape.
Cohésion was featured on A HOMELAND DENIED: A Compilation for the Palestinian Liberation by Hardcore 4 Gaza Initiative
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As PRUNE 99 gears up for their digital release on May 10, their story is one of fortuitous meetings, shared passions, and a dedication to capturing the essence of their experiences through music—a narrative as rich and layered as the tracks on their debut EP.
