Debut LP from Le Champ des Pleurs

Coming out of Strasbourg in France, Le Champ des Pleurs arrives as one of the more intriguing new names to rise from the modern blackgaze sphere. Entirely conceived by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Orion Martin, the project stands as a one-man creative world where atmosphere, emotion and literary influence are treated with equal importance. Though still young, Orion has built something with fascinating context, offering music based in solitude, informed by feeling and driven by a vision that stretches into new sonic spheres.

Launched in 2023 when he was just 16 years old, Le Champ des Pleurs carries an ambition seldom seen at that age. The project blends the emotional essence of late American blackgaze with the poetic stylings associated with French black metal, while also taking cues from French literature, all stitched into the artwork and embedded in the music itself.

That literary background gives Le Champ des Pleurs a peculiar gravity and even without words, the compositions suggest story and tension, as if chapters are playing through texture rather than language. The project also extends visually through collaboration with an artistic team that includes photographer @photosbychare, helping build a world where image and sound reflect the same melancholic aesthetic.

Orion draws inspiration from defining acts within the genre, including Alcest, Sadness, Les Discrets, Show Me A Dinosaur and A Light In The Dark. Every aspect, from composition to recording, has been created in his own bedroom, speaking to a level of discipline and determination. Le Champ des Pleurs is no mere lo-fi confession for its own sake; it’s solitary creative expression brought to life exactly as he sees it.

Making his official artistic entrance as Le Champ des Pleurs, the debut album titled Chants et Pleurs delivers the first complete statement of his vision. The seven-track instrumental outing starts off with the delicate guitar plucks on opening song “Pour Toi mon Amour,” as bright chords add to the lilting rhythmic sway before the track shifts with the crash of drums and crunch of distorted tones, crafting a smokey slice of dark shoegaze style music.

“Il sera un jour, pour toujours…” drifts into focus with soft guitar notes and airy strums while the gentle pulse of distorted chords adds wide texture as the downtempo strike of cymbal-heavy percussion injects a mellow but impactful energy. The first part of the split title track, “Chants et Pleurs, Pt. 1” flows with the twang of elegant guitar notes, casting a dreamy and melancholic scene that pauses to take a breath before launching into an arresting blend of gritty guitars, pulsing bass and pattering drums.

The brief “Entrance” piece offers an intricate interlude of stripped back guitar layers, and soft bursts of drums to present a subtly upbeat moment before the title track’s second part momentarily follows that tone. Erupting with punching drums and stacks of guitars, it rises to form a wholly absorbing soundscape that flows through a passage of graceful melodic bliss before marching drums usher in a gripping finale.

“Adieu Bovary” arrives with hushed notes, creating a murky sound before galloping bass lines, tapped percussion and bright electric guitars set up a transportive sonic voyage. Closing the album with “À nos Peines,” the laid back blend of muted notes and quiet drums sets up an expansive final outing that builds from intimate energy towards hurried rhythms and consuming instrumentation, offering an epic conclusion to the super debut record from Le Champ des Pleurs.

Listen to Chants et Pleurs below