FAUCHEUSE - comme un poignard 12"

Comme Un Poignard! Wow, Faucheuse are not fooling around on their second LP. This French band with (ex-)members of Bombardement play punk with a ferocity that’s commendable, but they’ve got a few tricks up their sleeve that set them apart from the pack.

First up is their musicianship. The drummer of Faucheuse is a beast, playing with a charging, militaristic intensity that’s fast and brutal. It’s classic d-beat energy but played with precision that borders on inhuman. Add guitar work that’s intricate and original, somehow making the drums hit even harder. You start to think this band listens to metal and rock ‘n’ roll just as much as hardcore punk. Here’s a band that can flat-out play, and how is it possible they have just one guitarist?

Then there are the vocals by Émilie Bresson. While you’d expect screaming, Faucheuse have a singer who can pierce your eardrums but can also actually sing really well. Thematically, this is a record about things going catastrophically wrong: derailing lives, short-circuits, avalanches of problems, nightmares you can’t escape. Bresson delivers it all with an urgency that makes you feel every metaphorical shock and impact.

The record stacks punches on top of each other, raising your sense of awe with each subsequent song. My favorite aspect of this record is that your initial reaction is one of familiarity. Like, okay, this is typical d-beat stuff. The singer is good though. And they’re sure tight. But then you start to notice how Faucheuse don’t go from A to Z in a straight line. When I finished the record, I was surprised there are only nine songs. I was pretty sure there were like double that. So many good ideas, such impeccable execution.

Faucheuse turn hardcore punk on its head with Comme Un Poignard, arguably one of the most exciting punk records to come out of 2026. Right now, I’m floored.

- Niek (Add to wantlist)