Claptrap - Second Guessing (2026) [Hi-Res]

The French quartet CLAPTRAP releases its second album, Second Guessing, in October 2026. It is tropical, danceable and experimental pop. The band is led by songwriter, singer and guitarist Eric Pasquereau, known for his work with Papier Tigre, La Colonie de Vacances and The Patriotic Sunday. He is joined by multi-instrumentalists Julien Chevalier and Paul Loiseau (La Terre Tremble!!!, Borja Flames) and, more recently, keyboardist and vocalist Elia Guérin (JoGo, Bleu Shinobi). The project has existed for more than six years. Its debut album Adulting came out in 2022 on UJNSQ, was acclaimed by critics and was supported by an extensive run of live shows.

The band’s sound can be described as progressive tropical pop: a ramshackle, warm, melancholic and slightly unhinged post-bossa nova, and a baroque exotica that is both danceable and experimental. The arrangements rest on an unusual instrumentation: Mediterranean mandolin, non-orthodox percussion, science-fiction synthesizers, worn-out guitars and other instruments on their last legs. They are meticulously crafted yet constantly on the verge of collapse. The album is sunny, but it is a sun that burns the retina. The rhythms are made for dancing at the edge of the abyss and the harmonies are charged with tension, so the band refuses to choose between celebration and downfall. Second Guessing was mixed by Stéphane Laporte (Forever Pavot, Domotic).

The vocals are detached yet deeply inhabited, the lyrics hallucinatory, the humour understated. The references are unexpected: muttered Italian phrases, Joe Pesci, Natalie Imbruglia, all feeding a stream of consciousness. The band’s musical touchstones are the European songcraft of Robert Wyatt and Franco Battiato, the Brazilian inventiveness of Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes and Tom Zé, and the baroque indie tradition of Broadcast, Daniel Rossen and Mild High Club. The result is an eccentric quartet in pursuit of the perfect pop song.

The cover is an original work by artist Geoffroy Pithon, taken from the watercolour series Botanique Murmure, later collected in a book published by FP&CF. The series is devoted to miniature, ultra-vegetal imaginary landscapes teeming with life. As always with Pithon, colour leads and shapes emerge from it.

Tracklist:
1. Claptrap - Shrug Emoji
2. Claptrap - All The Wrong Answers
3. Claptrap - The Bone
4. Claptrap - La Metà
5. Claptrap - A.D.I.T.L.O.A.D.I.T.L.
6. Claptrap - Buyer Persona
7. Claptrap - You Can Tell
8. Claptrap - Starve Your Dog
9. Claptrap - Untwine
10. Claptrap - Taped Over Tape