Since their emergence in the Lebanese music scene in 2017, Beirut-based French-speaking band Taxi 404 - made up of singer-songwriters Andy Rustom and Amin Zorkot - have since been building a loyal fan base both regionally and internationally, with three EPs and hit singles like ‘Soleil’, which has garnered over 200K listens on Spotify.
The Alt-Pop band finally released their first full album on April 21st titled ‘Parce Que’ which translates to ‘Because’, and the eight-track album is everything you’d expect from the duo.
The album feels like it was written effortlessly by the duo as we discover the ins and outs of their minds. From 50s inspired sounds to French rap and Indie-Pop, instrumentals to ballads, the band went all out, and what glues it all together is that everything (softly) screams Taxi 404.
The album, produced by Joy Moghanni, starts off with ‘Sauve Toi’, an Indie-Pop song that blends 80s inspired sounds with French Pop and tells the bittersweet story of running away from everything you know to start over somewhere new. Then we have ‘Mont Rocher’ which blends Pop and Rap with lyrics about being your own master and living life to its fullest. The song is also a metaphor for what it feels like to live in Beirut, “which is intense in both a negative and positive way,” Tia Murr, manager of Taxi 404, tells SceneNoise.
On the more romantic side, you have ‘On Est Deux’ and ‘Tes Mâchoires'’. The former means ‘We are Two’ and is a ballad that merges the sounds of the 50s with a modern poetry touch. The latter means ‘Your Jaws’ and is a message to your counterpart that they don’t need to be anxious and clench their jaws as long as you’re in this together. There’s also ‘Amoureux’, which is inspired by 2000s French Pop music and is a raw and emotional song founded solely on vocals and piano. It speaks about how love can save a person from the difficulties and hardships of life.
One of the tracks that stood out the most to us is ‘Ce Qui M’arrête’, a slow-tempo Rap-Pop fusion song. The chorus is sweet and is contrasted by deep spoken-word-esque verses, which offer a balance between softness and rigidity. The song is about how no one can stop them from making their music and going through their own path.
And finally for all you music sync enthusiasts out there the album has two instrumental tracks titled ‘Beirut-Paris’ and ‘Parce Que’. The former is a sensitive piano interlude “composed with the purpose of feeling like we’re going on a trip from Beirut to Paris. A trip we have done many times, and that symbolizes the next steps ahead in the band’s musical journey,” according to Murr. The latter is the album’s outro, an emotional and melancholic piano piece that wraps up the project in a soft and soothing way.
The album speaks to how much Taxi 404 have really tapped into their style and become comfortable in it, capitalizing on their velvety vocals and intricate melodies whilst having fun with a vulnerable and intimate touch.
