Core members Juliete Davis and Joachim Polack have been actively playing music that heals the soul since 2017.
Both of them are from Paris, France but have a dual citizenship, via their respective mothers who are both Americans. They've been living in the states for about 5 years now, mainly in Florida, yet they made the move to Los Angeles back in January. The city couldn't be happier to welcome these two great visionaries.
"We both play keyboards/synthesizers and sing mainly, and do other things occasionally" says Juliette. On stage, Juliette also plays the flute while Joachim picks up the guitar on rare, select occasions. According to Juliette, "the most current live incarnation of the band features Erica Shafer on bass and Ben Varian on drums. Erica is from Oregon, and Ben from Florida. They’re both incredible musicians and we’re very lucky to have them in the band."
They began recording their first self-titled album right before moving to the states. "Big shout out to Tashie (bass) and Ryan (drums), our Gville dream team" says the duo. According to the group, they would describe their music as, "you’re in space... but under water!" Accurate depiction in my opinion.
When asked about the writing process, they had this to say, "It generally starts on piano with a chord progression, sometimes with a melody but not always. The melody can definitely come afterwards. Writing and recording are usually part of one single process for us. We write/record most of the songs at home in our bedroom and we’ll often ask friends to overdub arrangements on top of it. For the third record, we did go to a few legit studios to track the things that we find are the hardest to do at home (mostly drums).
In Gainesville, FL we also did a lot of recording at our friends from the bands Edmondson, and Levek, who also play all over the record. Over time, Pearl & the Oysters has become a vehicle for collaborations with musicians we admire. We do reach out to people a lot and most of the time they’re into it. The next record has the particularity of having a lot of overdubs that were done remotely, sometimes without any directions on our part. We’re incredibly lucky to have met and be surrounded by insane musicians wherever we go it seems."
Packed with wavy songs that emit a West Coast, beachy vibe, the group released a self-titled album in 2017.
In 2018, they released their second record titled Canned Music on Burger Records. According to Juliette, "we were introduced to Sean via our old bud Sacha Got from La Femme". The first time we toured California, we played a show at the Burger Shop in Fullerton, after which we started talking with Sean and Lee about putting out our second album with Burger. They are legit rock apostles, and we’re so grateful to have crossed paths with that whole team."
LP3 is the impending third release for Pearl & The Oysters. They aren't sure yet when it'll be out, but the group says that it is 99% ready. "Shout out to our mixer Shags Chamberlain who’s probably working hard on that last percent right now" says the group. I personally cannot wait for that release. For now, the duo is practicing social distancing at the moment due to Covid-19. "Gotta flatten that curve! Seriously y’all.. stay at home and take care of yourselves." Take it from them, isolation can't be easy when you're used to being out on the road playing shows.
March was lined up to be an exciting month for them, with BURGERAMA, SXSW and a small West Coast tour all in the itinerary. The last show they played was in Paris, opening for the French band Biche, back in February. "It was packed & sweaty, and an all-around awesome night at one of our favorite venues, La Maroquinerie", says the duo.
It's no secret every artist has been hit hard this past month.
Show-goers also feel a huge void. I'm sure everyone is finding something to keep sane. Here are some things Juliette & Joachim like to do besides making tunes; Juliette likes to brew potions and draw illustrations and portraits. Lately, she’s been working on a series on women pioneers in electronic music. Joachim likes to write, and he’s currently trying to wrap up his PhD dissertation on Antônio Carlos Jobim. Juliette loves ‘cinema’ (with the French pronunciation), Joachim likes movies (and sometimes ‘cinema,’ but with the Italian pronunciation)."
Keep an eye out for this group hitting your city or country in years to come. LP3 is due to hit all platforms and be in the hands of all music lovers soon. Stream the other two albums on Spotify or YouTube. Feel free to check out their music videos as well. Support artists in these crazy times, so they can continue to give us magic and do what they love. The duo can't wait to be on the road again when it is safe to do so and "hug every human cause that's what we're all about."
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