alice surprises fans with a new coffret de bijoux album featuring melodic crust/neocrust of all genres. and yet it fits perfectly into not just alice's project catalogue, but the beautiful world coffret de bijoux has created as well. alice proves that coffret de bijoux isnt just one genre, one story to be told. what ive always loved about coffret de bijoux is how deeply personal it is. the project feels like the perfect emulation of alice's mindscape. this allows the project to explore not just one genre, sound, or language as it exposes different facets of alice's mind.

'je t'aimerais, bientôt' translates into english as 'i will love you, soon'. and it gives no build up to the listener as it opens with 'affaiblie de beauté' (weakened by beauty). the track opens with deep, harsh drums that cut right to the vein and metalcore/post-hardcore riffs. a love song, 'affaiblie de beauté' expresses the story of a soul split between wanting to love and wanting to disappear. i feel the complexities of a broken soul experiencing love for the first time, unsure if she deserves it, but desperately wanting it. the soul calls for a love that feels painful to experience. the choice to write this song in french feels personal yet expressive, as if she wants the subject of her feelings to hear this desperate call.

'words dont tend to change the sky' tones down the energy with a sound more akin to coffret de bijoux's usual black metal roots. it opens with a slower paced intro, a voice lamenting her inability to make a grand presence in the world, the way that others can. yet she can make a change in her own way, her words can change the sky. this leads into a heavier, yet melodic, mid section. before slowing back into more black metal riffs, and finally a lone guitar and bass serving a melancholic outro. i cant help but feel some dsbm influences in this song as well, with the wailing screams and slower, melancholic pace of the intro and outro. the outro features an audio clip from the movie 'im thinking of ending things.' its been forever since ive personally watched the movie so i cant speak on its usage much outside of this clip, but it serves the emotions of this track; a soul wrapped up in her own emotions and insecurity.

the next track, 'embrujada por la luna,'(bewitched by the moon) surprised me with its use of spanish. the track is more in line with coffret de bijoux's sound, with its riffs, while still exploring the new crust sound of the album. this track tells the experience of being destroyed by expectations, wanting to break free, yet being too weakened to do so. the hardcore screams serve to express the sheer desperation and vulnerability of these emotions. theres nothing dreamy or otherworldly about this. its pure emotion.

'las passereaux'(the sparrows) is a heavy, angry track. with lyrics like 'l'irrésistible véhémence de ma passion irrite les bêtes cramoisies'(the irresistible vehemence of my passion irritates the crimson beasts), i cant help but draw comparisons to alice calling the reason for her music production,'passion.' the powerful riffs and drums serve the angry messaging; not just asking why its wrong for her to have this passion, but asserting its place.

'comme des grafignes'(like scratches) is a beautiful track. i dont know if its the language barrier, but the lyrics are like the true words of the mind, broken and confused, like its struggling to put to words the experiences in its mind. the last line being in alice's conlang (ejauws) tells me that its experiences only words from her personal language can express. i cant help but feel connected to the way the lyrics are presented. the instrumentals reflect this energy, something fleeting and personal, as if it could fly away at any moment, so you dig your nails into it tightly.

the album's self-titled track feels like it pairs with 'affaiblie de beauté,' a tragic love song of someone torn between hating herself and loving someone else. it opens with screamo-esque guitars and vocals, laying the foundation of a melancholic track before the feedback distorts into a desperate call for love. the fast drumming buries the longing guitars, creating that dichotomous soundscape of a torn soul.

'splatter blood amongst the stars' offers a slower outro to the album, before switching gears part way through the track and ending with a bang. she screams of her death, unable to give the love she wants to give. the instrumentals pause for a second, allowing alice's screams to speak for itself, before falling back into a melodic haze of instruments and intense vocals. the vocals are relentless, almost overlapping each other, with instrumentation that almost overlap as well, before ending abruptly, mimicing the abrupt end of her life.

'je t'aimerais, bientôt' is certainly different from what alice has put out in the past, but it has a strong place in her discography by far. album proves that coffret de bijoux cant be tied down by genre or presentation, just as alice has never been tied down by genre and presentation.