Breton singer, musician and producer Quinquis just released her latest album, eor, on Mute Records and it’s exquisite. Inspired by mermaid lore and made with modular synthesizers, eor will have you imagining tales filled with fantastic beings, set against against gray skies and cold, tumultuous seas. This isn’t TikTok-friendly mermaidcore, this is something darker, richer and altogether more interesting.
Something that I love about Quinquis is that she’s able to convey stories that transcend language. In 2022, she released an album called Seim that was sung mostly in Breton, the endangered, Celtic language of Brittany. The songs were inspired by the people and nature of Ushant, the island off the coast of Brittany in the English Channel, where she lives. Even though I didn’t know anything about Ushant or the Breton language, I could more or less imagine what was happening in those songs based on her voice and instrumentation. Seim is a wonderful album— I interviewed Quinquis about it for Audiofemme back when it was released— and you should check it out if you have a chance.
On eor, it sounds as if Quinquis is expanding upon what she did with Seim. Once again, she collaborated with co-producer Gareth Jones, who has mixed and/or produced music by John Foxx, Depeche Mode, Einsturzende Neubauten, Interpol and Grizzly Bear, amongst others. This time, though, Quinquis dives into the waters surrounding her home and the folklore that goes along with it. The title, eor, is Breton for anchor.
The backstory of the album is that Quinquis learned to sail solo a few years ago and, on her travels, began to think about what was in the sea and, specifically, mermaid legends. The result is an album that, once again, is primarily sung in Breton, but conveys universally understood stories of love and loss, hardship and strength.
“Morwreg,” which means mermaid, is my personal favorite on the album. It begins with a mournful tone and then builds to a dance floor tempo before Quinquis unleashes a dizzying swirl of synths. It’s very dramatic, like Kate Bush on the second side of Hounds of Love. The song’s story revolves around a mermaid who falls in love with a sailor and leaves her 11 sisters for him, triggering a curse on her descendants. I want to see this movie. It sounds better than the real version of The Little Mermaid.
“Dec’h,” which is pronounced “der” and translates to “yesterday,” is another standout track, albeit it one that feels a little more optimistic. Here, the synths are lighter, more hopeful as they build up to an enthusiastic, danceable peak. The structure of the song reflects the story within it, which is about mermaids urging someone to dance again.
Quinquis is a clever producer and musician and she really nails the sound of a fairy tale throughout eor. It’s the kind of album that you can listen to repeatedly with the knowledge that you will probably get something new out of it each time. If you’re a fan of artists like Kate Bush, Björk, The Knife and Austra, you should probably pick up eor immediately.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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