Tapeworms explore the ups and downs of following your dreams in the atmospheric “Safe And Sound”

“Safe and Sound”, off the French art pop trio’s Grand Voyage, begins with a synth shimmering brightly in its 8-bit sound, a gentle introduction that feels like awakening from a long dream, imbuing an instant allure. The synth is joined by contrastingly heavy pulses of electronica and Margot Magnière’s compressed vocals. Singing of feeling her dreams fading, the vast synths fuse together to form dense, lush chords. Building slowly, they eventually swallow Magnière whole, encapsulating her in a haze of drum ‘n’ bass and ringing synth-pop.

As the single builds, Magnière’s voice becomes clearer as she swaps despair for belief, the beat evolving from gritty to lush. Still, the mindshift doesn’t stay for long. Instead, “Safe and Sound” takes listeners on a journey. Framed by ever-changing electronic embellishments, like flashes of light from a spinning disco ball, the intentional shift tells an all-too familiar tale of the weight of changing emotions in a fast-moving life.

“Switching between pessimism and optimism, the song is structured as a dialogue between two inner voices,” the band explains. “While the first one tells its struggle to hold on everyday, fusing its discourse with motivational words, the second one keeps pushing them to keep going. Between feelings and reasons, ‘Safe And Sound’ served as a memento for Grand Voyage, telling us to stop relying only on dreams and idealistic projections, but to accept the fact that sometimes things are greater than us.”

Composed of Margot Magnière and brothers Théo and Elliot Poyer, the dynamic “Safe And Sound” is a highlight off of Grand Voyage, which dives into the trio’s dreams of visiting Tokyo, Japan (which eventually turned into a real-life year-long trip). Exploring topics like the dehumanization of work, longing for new experiences, and navigating sentimental relationships, the album is full of stories people can relate to told through an experimental lens. The record asks the question: Alors, on y va?

Inspired by the French touch genre and early 2000s bitpop, the band’s sophomore LP is a bolder endeavor than their first. While the band's past sounds have been heavily influenced by odd-indie groups like Stereolab, this project features a more processed, artificial sound, trading organic instrumentation for samplers, synths, and Casio keyboards (think Kero-Kero Bonito meets Magdalena Bay). The result is a cosmic kaleidoscope of sounds both new and familiar.