Hélène Barbier

Hailing from France and based in Montreal over the last decade, Hélène Barbier switches between English and French atop aggressively anti-complicated avant-pop melodies. Surrounded by talented musicians whom she knows to be allergic to tired chords and unnecessary fillers, she creates an imbalance through juxtaposition. Four simple notes become evocative alongside four disorienting, different notes, and this simplistic rule has become a basis for complex play.