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Band's note : While FINE EQUIPE is not a straight-edge band, this movement had a profound impact on us both musically and intellectually. The different themes this genre explored left an indelible impression on us; making us aware of the importance of animal rights, of respect for others and for oneself, of taking control of our lives, and more... We’re forever grateful to what STRAIGHT-EDGE has brought to us, and to this world. Through FINE EQUIPE we hope we can pay tribute to and embody some of the passion, the urgency, the energy, and the messages of those who raised that XXX flag and those who continue to fly it.
Our take: Fine Equipe is a new studio project from some folks in Syndrome 81, and just as their Mentalité 81 project turned their attention toward early 80s US-style hardcore, Fine Equipe puts the classic late 80s straight edge / youth crew sound through these musicians’ distinctive filter. As with Mentalité 81, all the genre’s aesthetic signifiers are there—dynamic arrangements with instruments constantly dropping out and careening back in, big breakdowns, and gang vocals—but the French language and these musicians’ peculiar aesthetic sensibilities make this feel like more than a mere retread. I think the folks on the 185 Miles South podcast hit the nail on the head when they compared this to the late 90s Boston band In My Eyes. Like In My Eyes, Fine Equipe has a very classic take on the youth crew sound that minimizes the aggro and heaviness and flirts with Gorilla Biscuits-style melody (especially when the guitarist plays around in the upper octaves) without sounding poppy or wimpy. While the Mentalité 81 release was frustratingly short, we get 9 whole minutes of music on this 10” EP. For folks whose tastes encompass both the Syndrome 81 cinematic universe and the Revelation Records classics, this may well blow your mind. For those of you who find yourselves in one of those camps but not the other, this is so spot on that I think you’ll at least like it, if not full-on love it.