The Nantes, France-based noise-rock four-piece Tickles has finally delivered their highly anticipated debut studio album, ‘Sugar & Plastic Plates’, which is officially out NOW, November 28th, on limited edition vinyl via Stolen Body Records and A Tant Rêver du Roi (FR). Emerging from the vibrant punk scene in 2018, Tickles quickly carved out a reputation as one of France’s most exciting and unpredictable new bands with their raw, bruising 2020 debut EP, ‘I Love You Paul’. Their fusion of noise, punk, and post-hardcore, combined with chaotic live energy, immediately drew comparisons to Idles, Fontaines D.C., and METZ.
The nine-track studio album was recorded with Christophe Hogommat and mixed by Joris Saïdani, with mastering by Thibault Chaumont. While still charged with the raw intensity of their noise-punk roots, the quartet digs deeper here to deliver a darker, more furious, and visceral full record. Through apocalyptic riffs, thunderous basslines, frenetic rhythms, and cynical lyrics, Tickles wrestles with isolation, anxiety, abandonment, and the scars of childhood. Vocalist Lucas Bonfils explained that the recording process “flowed effortlessly as we’ve spent a long time refining these nine tracks and knew exactly what we wanted,” allowing them to experiment freely and explore unusual sounds and textures. Ahead of the release came the final single, “Daughters Around,” a heavy yet disco-tinged song that tackles the complexities of family life and gender dynamics, following the earlier single, “The Safest Car,” which explores the fear of leaving one’s comfort zone.
Bonfils added that the album title, subject matter, and artwork capture “the bittersweet feeling of birthdays, moments filled with joy, yet sometimes tinged with solitude as connections slowly fade and loneliness quietly settles in.” Continuing the lineage of Nantes’ punk underground, Tickles delivers music that is as cathartic as it is chaotic: a true celebration of noise, release, and reckless abandon.
TRACK LISTING:
1. I Am Not The Body
2. The Safest Car
3. Daughters Around
4. Love Cells
5. Cheeks
6. Haunted
7. Norah
8. One Foot Chair
9. Drawings