"There is nothing more beautiful than that perfect union between two people" - Florian Lefevre

1. Sweet Relief
2. Pyromania
3. Begone! Your Tragedy, Cast Aside
4. Lips, Hips and Lowering Zips
5. Lies, Tears and Fears for Years
6. Walking Blindly, Falling Without Wings
7. Escape Prosthesis, No Fate Awaits
8. Illusions
9. Pretty Faces Hide Behind Cosmetic Masks
10. Wake, Run, Hide, Repeat
11. Where is the Only Answer
12. My God! I Never Called Your Nameac
13. Walking Under Ladders [Friday]
14. Take A Bow and Smile Politely

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The Track

Lips, Hips and Lowering Zips is the fourth track on the debut album Illusions by French art-rock and post-hardcore quintet Sonnets and Novellas. It is a strong and passionate track with a strong emotional overtone and gentle tone, while also managing to retain the sort of rock tempo that Sonnets and Novellas have made their own so far throughout the album. It sees Lefevre experiment with lyrics which are far gruffer and more animalistic than any track so far, as well as hitting the occasional melodic high, a combination which may surprise many listeners, given that the subject matter for the track is a passionate and ground breaking sexual liaison. The song also marks the first time that the band has not been experimental and changing with their tempos, choosing to stick to a symbolic, steady pace throughout the track rather than bring in unexpected time signatures from left field as they have done so often so far.

The track starts with a slowly picked and slightly distorted guitar riff, high up the scale, which then quickly gives way to three string bends accompanied by crashing cymbals. This is played through three times, repeated in the exact same manner, before being joined by the gruff, rough and gravelly voice of Lefevre, his vocal style this time lending itself to a much more narrative driven method as opposed to imaginative and metaphor led style that he has gone for before. As such, he sings in a far steadier and consistent style, giving the track a softer edge, in spite of the fact that he sings with a gruffer voice, because of the fact there are not unexpected changes and screams coming from nowhere throughout. The verses of the song, steady and consistent as they are, are sung over the opening riff and bend combo, which repeats quietly in the background as Lefevre sings the opening verse, before getting louder for subsequent efforts.

The choruses are a bit faster and see the song change in key a little. The backing music is now led by some high pitched guitar chords and gentle drumming, which sounds more uplifting and cheery than the verses that have come before. This is where Lefevre's vocal range is really broken out for probably the only time in this track, as he retains the gruff overtones throughout, but hits some much higher notes. The only other alteration in the song from start to finish comes in the shape of the bridge following the third chorus, when the music becomes suddenly much louder and slower, bringing back a tone more akin to Sonnets and Novellas and reminding the listener that they are a rock band at the end of the day. Overall, the track is very different from what has been heard so far, showing a more analytical and literal side lyrically, as well as demonstrating just how well the band can link their lyrics to the actual musicianship they produce, with a softer toned and more laid back track lending itself excellently to the subject matter.

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The Illusion

Florian: "Alright, so this one....it is very different to what you have heard so far in the album, very different to everything on there actually. This is because I wrote it very late on in the process. I loved the song that my band had written musically, but I just couldn't get the right vibe in any of the lyrics I tried so I initially discarded it, sadly. Then I thankfully found my rhythm just a few weeks before the album went to pressing. The discovery of not just an idea, but a physical muse, someone who just inspired me to grab a pen and paper and start scrawling down everything that I felt without filtering it was fucking majestic. So in many ways....as much as this song is about the bedroom illusion, and the way a person becomes totally detached from the outside world when in the throes of love, it is also a metaphor for that notion of influence and inspiration and the fact that a person can be so empowering that they just make you burst with ideas.

"This is probably the song that people will look at and be able to understand more than others. It doesn't really have the same sort of cryptic message behind it that the other ones did. It's straight up about fucking, isn't it. The emotions are all about fucking when you have just dropped some acid and the heightened senses and amazing shit you see and feel, but the actual words in the song are straightforward, they are about two people getting into bed and just enjoying the human form in the way that nature intended us to. Compared to the way wordplay fucks with all my other themes for songs, I quite like the fact that this one, despite being about sex, is probably the most innocent songs in terms of the way in which the English language is used. There's something of a poetic irony about that that I love.

"Again, I think this is another one of the songs at this point of the album that sort of steps away from the notions that are present throughout the rest of it. This stands alone because of the physicality of it. Most of the tracks and illusions are about mental points, things that can get into your head and embed themselves in your consciousness. But this is about the pure physical and raw emotion of two passionate souls bringing their skin and bones together and making the most perfect of connections. I have already been asked so many times by the people who have worked on this album with me who the song is actually about. I never realised that people were so entrenched in each other's business until I dared to write something which I suppose they saw as scandalous or edgy, right? However, while I will never go so far as to embarrass anyone by revealing who the track is about, I will tell you that this is about a real person and a real passionate moment that really opened my eyes to what sex could be."

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Lips, Hips and Lowering Zips

I keep watching as her hips sway
So entranced I barely hear the words she'll say
The lights are dimmed in the bedroom, the music's low
Now bring me to your chest, tell me where to go

My lips touched her neck and we both felt a spark
A stolen kiss so soft to bring out these gentle gasps
I traced my name on her ribs with my tongue to eliminate the dark
Zips lower, clothes are torn we rip buttons, clips and clasps

Closing her eyes I feel her lips rest on my skin
Enamored, sworn to secrecy, a beauty masked in sin
Don't break the silence, never speak unless we must
Hands are roaming, breath's quickening, treat my lust

Coming up, I feel her skin against my hand like silk
Kiss me quickly don't take away my desire so refused
Pull away and risk the death as breaths catch in my throat
Her mouth, so warm, I gulp the air on which I float

My lips touched her neck and we both felt a spark
A stolen kiss so soft to bring out these gentle gasps
I traced my name on her ribs with my tongue to eliminate the dark
Zips lower, clothes are torn we rip buttons, clips and clasps

Have we taken this too far to chase what we need
Boundaries broken, legs are parted, from this taboo we're freed
Gimme the power to want you more and i swear I'll prove it
If I had to cross a mountain for you, I'd fucking move it

My lips touched her neck and we both felt a spark
A stolen kiss so soft to bring out these gentle gasps
I traced my name on her ribs with my tongue to eliminate the dark
Zips lower, clothes are torn we rip buttons, clips and clasps

No need to speak, we communicate so primal
Your groans and screams give way to a sound so final
Let me feel the sweat between your thighs
Show me that lust in your eyes
Fall in my arms as one we chase that peak
No more words, never enough, no need to speak

Let me breathe the way you taste for life, forever
Your breast against my skin, I'll leave you never
Let me hold you close as our chests heave
Please don't go, don't walk out never leave

My lips touched her neck and we both felt a spark
A stolen kiss so soft to bring out these gentle gasps
I traced my name on her ribs with my tongue to eliminate the dark
Zips lower, clothes are torn we rip buttons, clips and clasps