The latest track lives up to their experimental and transgressive reputation
WORDS MARTINE HESS, IMAGE VALENTIN CURTET
French duo Namoro has released a new single that invites you to move your body to an exploration of the meaning of sex and its role in society.
Namoro exists in the spaces where magnetic poetry, powerful rhythms and sexuality unite. In their own words, these “two dykes that love each other” use their work as a form of activism and expression of devotion. The duo consists of Bili Bellegarde and Mascare, and the music is often described as being on the border of performance art. Their latest single, Sex Is Good But, is no exception as it lives up to their experimental and transgressive reputation.
The music video begins with the couple roaming the mountains to the words “I don’t make love anymore / Dear body, please forgive me.” Heavy breathing, moaning and spoken-word melt together over electronic beats. As the pace of the song picks up, the bare landscape and clear sky are replaced by a dark room. Now, they are wearing a materialistic layer in the form of glitter, pearls, golden lipstick, a jewelled mask and a balaclava.
“Sex is good but” is repeated over and over but the punching statement is never completed. Instead, it is left hanging in the air and the listener has to fill in the blank. The question of sexual commodification comes to mind. Sex is good but… is it everything? Sex is good but… should sexuality be profitable? Sex is good but… have you ever fucked the system?
This incandescent single was announced as a part of Namoro’s upcoming EP, Xtra Caxxia, which was recorded in their studio-flat in Paris during the pandemic. Despite being born at a time when the world was at a standstill, the EP is made for movement.
“We hope to speak to bodies, we hope they will want to dance,” they say. Being confined to their flat, the aim was to “convoquer la sueur des clubs”, to replicate the feeling of a sweaty club. Bewitching, bold and seductive are all words that describe the sound of Namoro – which might be just the thing you need when everyday life has slowed down.
Aside from inspiring an urge to dance, Namoro wants their music to be a form of resistance and support. “As queer people, we tell stories which are not a part of the mainstream. In this particular track, we speak about sexuality as a political weapon.” The duo wishes to challenge the system as it stands, at the same time as bringing joy and mischief to the conversation around sexuality.
Xtra Caxxia will be released 11 June via Grimalkin Records, a label focused on supporting queer artists and connecting them with listeners and grassroots organisations, and proceeds from the release will go to the sex-work union STRASS, dedicated to protecting sex-workers’ rights.
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