SÉBASTIEN TELLIER RETURNS WITH A GLITTERING BUT UNEVEN ‘KISS THE BEAST

Albumreview by Jan Vranken

The French Touch icon delivers disco glamour and autotune dreams on an album that sparkles in moments but never quite roars

Six years is a long time in electronic music. When Sébastien Tellier last graced us with a full-length album – 2020’s domestic meditation *Domesticated* – the world looked very different. Now, in 2026, the perpetually sunglasses-clad Parisian dandy returns with *Kiss the Beast*, a 12-track expedition through disco floors, synth-soaked ballads, and orchestral detours that proves both his enduring cool and his occasional tendency to overthink the dancefloor.

The album arrives with pedigree dripping from every track. Production heavyweights Oscar Holter (The Weeknd, Katy Perry) and French Touch colleague SebastiAn help shape a sound that nods to Tellier’s formative role in France’s electronic revolution while chasing contemporary pop sheen. Owen Pallett’s string arrangements add cinematic grandeur, while guest appearances from Nile Rodgers and Kid Cudi promise mainstream crossover appeal.

Opening with its title track, *Kiss the Beast* immediately establishes Tellier’s aesthetic: lush, heavily autotuned vocals floating over dreamy electronic textures. It’s pleasant enough, though the repetitive lyrics wear thin across three-and-a-half minutes. The follow-up “Naïf de Coeur” stretches even further – nearly five minutes of whispered crooning that, despite gorgeous synth work, feels like watching fog slowly roll across a mirror.

Then comes “Refresh,” and suddenly everything clicks. With its addictive ’80s beat and Daft Punk-reminiscent vocoder, this is Tellier at his most irresistible. The violin flourishes are chef’s kiss perfection, and lyrics urging listeners to ‘replay, restart, refresh the game’ capture that video game nostalgia with genuine charm. If you’re looking for a reference point, think Air’s *Moon Safari* crossed with Justice’s neon maximalism.

But just as quickly, the album stumbles. “Mouton” is genuinely bizarre – dramatic piano punctuated by sheep bleating, evoking less Leonard Cohen than a confused barnyard symphony. It’s the kind of left-turn that either reads as bold artistic statement or self-indulgent misstep, depending on your tolerance for the surreal.

Fortunately, “Thrill of the Night” immediately redeems the album. This collaboration with hyperpop princess Slayyyter and disco legend Nile Rodgers is pure Studio 54 magic transplanted to 2026. Rodgers’ guitar work sparkles with his signature joy, while Slayyyter’s chromatic melodies on the chorus – ‘Excitation tickle my imagination’ – provide the sugary pop hook the album desperately needs. It’s easily the album’s peak, a track destined to soundtrack European summer festivals and intimate club nights alike.

The album’s second half proves more inconsistent. “Copycat” succeeds where earlier ballads faltered, with Tellier’s whispered vocals finally finding the right setting amid delectable violins and layered synths. “Animale” aims for cinematic drama with its horn-backed piano progression but feels oddly out of place among the synth-heavy surroundings. Kid Cudi’s appearance on “Amnesia” provides a welcome energy injection, though the track itself doesn’t quite match the excitement his verse promises.

“Loup” closes things with unexpected flamenco guitar flourishes that eventually build to a triumphant, Bonnie Tyler-esque finale – it’s weird, wonderful, and suggests the more adventurous album lurking beneath the surface polish. Final track “Un Dimanche en Famille” offers a gentle comedown, though by this point, it’s hard not to feel that *Kiss the Beast* is better as a playlist than a cohesive statement.

Therein lies the fundamental issue: Tellier has crafted an album of moments rather than a singular vision. The production is consistently gorgeous, the musicianship impeccable, but the whisper-croon vocals that defined his earlier mystique now sometimes drain the joy from otherwise brilliant arrangements. When he fully commits to the dancefloor – as on “Thrill of the Night” and “Refresh” – the results are spectacular. When he drifts into introspection, the album loses momentum.

Still, there’s undeniable craft here. Tellier’s role as a French Touch godfather remains secure, and his willingness to blur boundaries between intimate bedroom pop and club-ready disco shows ambition. The collaborations genuinely enhance rather than overwhelm, and the album’s best tracks stand proudly alongside anything in his catalog.

*Kiss the Beast* isn’t the triumphant statement of purpose that a six-year wait might suggest, but it’s a fascinating, frequently beautiful document from an artist still wrestling with his impulses toward both accessibility and experimentalism. Put the standout tracks on your playlist and marvel at Tellier’s enduring cool – just don’t expect the full album to sustain that same wild energy. (6/10) (Because Music)