Topical Dancer

It’s not easy to dance with one’s tongue buried deeply in cheek. But Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul effortlessly combine lean, punchy electro-pop with an unapologetically sarcastic sense of humour. On the Belgian duo’s debut album, <i>Topical Dancer</i>, the two musicians draw on their multicultural backgrounds to take sly potshots at racism, sexism and self-doubt. On “Esperanto”, Adigéry riffs on microaggressions over plunging electric bass, and on “Blenda”, she marries a crisp, funky groove with a surprisingly vulnerable chorus: “Go back to your country where you belong/Siri, can you tell me where I belong?” Co-produced by their long-time collaborators Soulwax, the album slices neatly across the overlap between punky disco, indie dance and underground house; ’80s avant-pop influences (Art of Noise, Talking Heads) brush up against the sing-speaking wit of contemporaries like Marie Davidson and Dry Cleaning. Some of the album’s most powerful moments transcend language entirely: On “Haha”, Adigéry’s laughter is chopped up and dribbled over an EBM-inspired beat, making for a slow-motion floor-filler that’s as surreal as it is captivating.