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DEAD CHIC are a rock band, their cinematic take on guitar and grit leading to ferocious live shows and their dark, sauntering debut, Serenades & Damnation. In fact, they’ve released a deluxe edition of that LP, fitted with three reimagined tracks, and have since announce a UK tour, bringing their smokey sound to our green and pleasant land. I asked DEAD CHIC ten questions to feel my way through the darkness and stumble upon their creative processes.

Previously, I interviewed their keyboardist, Mathis Akengin: read here.

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THE ARGUS FAR FIVE

How would you describe the sound of DEAD CHIC?

Damien Félix:

We described our first album as cinematic rock in a tequila glass. This refers to our desire to create soundscapes, atmospheres that can evoke images for the listener, using many more or less subtle references to South American music, using certain sounds, certain percussions.

We’re quite heavily inspired by some of Ennio Morricone’s soundtracks, but we also like things that are harder, more raw. Our music is a mixture that brings all of that together; it’s important for us to have a real signature sound.

Andy Balcon:

It’s always a funny one to describe the sound. People often ask and I go on to explain big guitar loaded with spring reverb, and honking organ and Latin-influenced rock drums, it cacophony of movie
cliches

What are your biggest non-music influences?

Damien:

Andy and I created our first pieces by exchanging images, before even discussing musical references, which we mostly shared anyway. These still images, often landscapes, are our starting points. They allow us to imagine moods and atmospheres. So I would say that images are a strong influence for us.

Andy: Oh, that’s a good question. I love poetry and reading from life’s antiheroes. For instance, I love the world McCarthy creates in The Border Trilogy, almost a pre-beatnik character. I also felt an overwhelming sense of emotion when the Tate had Cy Twombly’s ‘Bacchus’. I think these examples have found their way into the music.

If you had to cover any song and put a DEAD CHIC spin on it, which would you choose?

Damien:

Hmm, difficult question. Right now I’m obsessed with the song “Seasons” by Future Islands, so right now it might be that one. Andy?

Andy:

There’s so many amazing songs out there. I think Cat Power has the right idea with her Covers
record. I’d love for us to do something like that as we have found our sound now, maybe its still
developing. I’d think a version of ‘The World We Knew’ by Sinatra would be a good one but we’d need to find the right key as Frank’s voice was an exception, in the most difficult range.

What is your earliest memory of music?

Damien:

Unfortunately, if I have to be honest, I think it’s a Dorothée concert. She was a very popular
singer in France, she hosted a children’s show, it wasn’t the best, but oh well… After that, I have more noble memories of music in the car thanks to my parents, but the first one seems to be Dorothée.

Andy:

Probably listening to the track ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ by AC/DC in my Dad’s old Triumph, though around that time we also listened to ‘Lazy Sunday’ by Small Faces. But the AC/DC track defiantly changed my life.

What does 2026 have in store for DEAD CHIC?

Damien:

This year we released a deluxe version of our first album, with six new tracks. We’re also
releasing an EP of a live acoustic session. We reinterpreted six songs in a more stripped-down style, in a cozy setting, among friends. It was very enjoyable. In June, we’re touring England, which is very exciting, and France in July. And then we’re working on writing our second album, which we’ll record this fall.

Andy:

Yep.

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THE DEAD CHIC FIVE

I asked Mathis [Akengin, the band’s keyboardist] in our interview about writing songs in different languages. How do you decide which language to write a song in, or when to switch languages mid-song?

Damien:

It’s not so much a conscious decision, but rather instinctive. The mood of the song dictates it. A particular melody might lead us to a certain language, for example. This is a very representative aspect of who we are: a multicultural group with French, English, and French-Turkish members, all of which comes through in our music.

You’re touring the UK this June. How would you describe your performances?

Damien:

Live performance is very important to us. It’s a real pleasure to play concerts and share that with
an audience. When you think about it, it takes so much work, time, people involved, and miles
traveled to put on a one-hour concert. We have to make the most of it, make it unique. So we’re
committed to playing every note with full force, every song with as much intensity as possible, and to having as much fun as possible.

Andy:

Agreed. I feel as though the live is everything you work towards. It’s as though you create this
piece of art, and then it’s time to present it. Our recording process is live so it’s not as though we contribute backing tracks to our live show; it’s very primitive and the size of our sound is due to the people hitting their instruments. I feel very lucky to play with such maestros of their craft. its very impressive.

If you could write a new theme tune for any TV show, which would you pick and in what
style?

Damien:

Ouch, I haven’t had a TV in ages, so I admit I’m not really up to date on what’s on now. I’m still
reeling from season one of True Detective; I think I would have loved to write some music for it.

Andy:

I’d love to do a Bond theme. There is something about the mood and character within the title
track which I love.

DEAD CHIC’s members have a lot of their own side projects and collaborations. How does
this all synthesise into DEAD CHIC?

Damien:

Each of us is enriched by our experiences outside the band. It’s always a way to learn new
things, to explore. And inevitably, this will find its way into our work in one way or another.

Furthermore, each member of the group has the intelligence to blend into the band’s universe, to put themselves at its service; when we come together, the sound automatically returns, and it’s always a joy to witness this little bit of magic.

How was it coming back to ‘Pain Love Joy’, ‘Hedonista’, and ‘Paris’ at a different, minimalist angle for the Serenades and Damnation Deluxe Edition?

Damien:

It was really great, very enjoyable. And once again, the musical cohesion between us made the process quite fluid and natural. It’s amazing to see how a song can take on a new dimension. We recorded them live and in front of an audience, in a really chill setting. This also influenced how we interpreted the songs, to blend in with the atmosphere.

Andy:

Exactly, and we also gave Remi a few more instruments to hit which is almost like giving a painter a new colour: the results are beautiful.

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