The Past, The Present & The Possible

French indie-rockers Tahiti 80 have proven themselves true originals who've touched souls with carefully-crafted delights for over fifteen years. Their latest offering however, is their most radical departure yet. Comparable to Blur's transition from Leisure to Modern Life Is Rubbish or perhaps clutching towards Bowie's chameleon-like early day personas, the entitlement of the word "rebirth" stands evident. Released as the first full-length on their self-owned label Human Sounds, boundaries are finally limitless. For starters, Tahiti 80 is now a six-piece unit. The additions include long-time touring members Julien Barbagallo and Raphaël Léger on backing vocals, keyboards, and percussions/drums changing the position of co-writer Sylvain Marchand due to chronic ear damage. The album was produced by Xavier Boyer and Pedro Resende; mixed by Tahiti alumni Tony Lash (Wallpaper For The Soul, Axe Riverboy, Cardinal, Eric Matthews) and Tore Johansson (Puzzle, Cardigans, Franz Ferdinand). Their influences seemed to align, leaving them to call The Past, The Present & The Possible both willingly and reluctantly "our '80s postmodern album," noting a mixtape Xavier made with bands such as Wire, New Order, The The, Andy Weatherall '90s productions and Squeeze (or something more modern, like Cornelius). While both The Past and The Present have taught us what to expect from the Tahiti lads, The Possible is by far the tightest, most complex and thoughtful instrumentation of the band's career. Many first time occurrences include Xavier programming beats for a record and Médéric Gontier singing lead on the warm, acoustic breezes of "Want Some?" "Defender" shows no mercy, building a new layer of infectiousness every thirty seconds. In the same breath, the lyrics deliver the emotional content to either sing along or just soulfully listen. Tahiti 80 have always been and will continue as a "musical" band giving the fans the best of their industry.