Les Chants de l'Aurore

The Artist

Alcest is the project of French musician Neige, who began it in the early 2000s in the south of France and was later joined by drummer Winterhalter. The band is widely credited with helping pioneer "blackgaze," blending the tremolo guitars and harsh vocals of black metal with the dreamy haze of shoegaze. Neige has long described his music as an attempt to capture memories of an otherworldly realm he felt connected to as a child. Les Chants de l'Aurore is their seventh studio album, arriving in 2024 after a five-year wait that followed the darker, heavier Spiritual Instinct.

The Album

Released in 2024 on Nuclear Blast, the album was shaped largely by Neige, who handles guitars, bass, and vocals, with Winterhalter's drumming anchoring the arrangements. After the shadowy tone of its predecessor, the record deliberately turns back toward light, favoring bright guitar tones and lush, choir-like vocal layering. Harsh screams still surface, but they sit inside the mix as texture rather than dominating it. The title translates to "songs of the dawn," and the music leans into that idea. Thematically, it circles childhood wonder, spiritual connection, and the hope of returning to a purer, luminous state of being.

Listen For

Filtered light. "Komorebi" takes its name from a Japanese word for sunlight through leaves. Notice how the shimmering guitar layers try to paint that image in sound.

Choral vocals. Neige stacks his voice into something closer to a choir than a lead singer. Listen for how the harmonies blur words into pure atmosphere.

Twin souls. "Flamme Jumelle" points to the idea of a twin flame, a mirrored soul. Pay attention to how the push and pull between heavy and soft passages mirrors that bond.

Breathing room. "Réminiscence" pares the sound way back after the album's dense first half. Notice how the sudden spaciousness resets your ears for what follows.

Eastern echoes. "L'Enfant de la Lune (月の子)" carries a Japanese subtitle, nodding to Neige's fascination with Japan. Listen for how that influence colors the melody and mood.