Still Cercle by Malou Madi: Review

by Gabe Finch November 25, 2022

November 25, 2022

Still Cercle by Malou Madi: Review

Paris-based artist Malou Madi keeps it exquisite with a pop-heavy single “Still Cercle” which is setting a whole new scene or capricious basslines, and a compelling vocal hook in an infectious melody. She delves into linguistic, geographical, and effective variations.

Combining the sounds of syncopated rhythms, spooky harmonics, and synthesizers, Malou Madi creates an ambient ambiance that both shocks and delights. Her next EP What We Don’t Say will feature this single, a sip into the tea she’s brewing for her listeners all across the globe. The song “Still Cercle,” which the artist wrote, sang, and co-produced with Josh Hari (a regular collaborator of Amber Mark/Fatoumata Diawara/Georgia Anne Muldrow), deftly treads the line between the polarities of compassion and underlying built-up irritation in a one-sided discourse. As she shares her journey of making this single, she leaves a word of abstract expression only a talented artist would be able to decode.

Malou Madi, who has performed alongside the likes of Kadhja Bonet, Emel Mathlouthi, and Emily King, creates music that is both delicate and tense, occupying a zone somewhere between assurance and ambiguity. I say this because living through her music made me realize very few artists can do what she does. Her music is rich in nuance and complexity, with carefully placed silences, layered vocals, discordant rhythms, and electronic instruments all present and working together nicely. Don’t forget to check out her November release after listening to “Still Cercle”!