Indolore – After the Rain | Greener Pastures

After the Rain is encompassing of a singular feeling: perseverance. French instrumentalist Guillaume, under his nom de plume of Indolore (ironically meaning painless), breaks his silence to bring us a message of hope in our self-inflicted emotional turmoil that comes with increasingly troubled times. About the album, he writes,

“When the rain came down, we were skeptical. We wouldn’t believe it.
When the rain poured down on our lives, we got scared. We stopped.
We hid. We put ourselves on pause, blessing what matters the most.
Birds singing. Water flowing. Kids smiling.

Some are waiting for the rain to stop. Some are dancing underneath.
If your love has to go, let it go.
If the sun has to come, let it come.
Let things be. And dream on.”

The Rain is emblematic of our darkness, but Indolore illuminates that we needn’t wait for it to pass in order to live our lives. There are innumerable roses that we may stop to smell, only if we allow ourselves to appreciate them for the blessings that they are. He illustrates this in a 30-minute EP dedicated to this melancholically cathartic message, across eight tracks that come together to paint a picture of what After the Rain might be – a visualisation of one’s ideal self.

After the Rain’s production involved a multi-instrumental acoustic setup that melts like butter, creating gorgeous and haunting soundscapes that dog at your sense of self. His husky timbre voice has an enchanting quality for storytelling, one that is suited to both comfort and enigma, and he accompanies this with mellow guitar fingering. The emergent sound is cozy, and much alike another French artist I adore, Syd Matters. Naive in Love also breaks into a jazzy saxophone bit that is also simply delicious.

In the truest sense, the album teaches us that we can’t dwell on our grief obsessively, but rather flits around thematically to remind us of the many things we may appreciate. The album dabbles with the lives of people and our interpersonal relationships with them, new friendships and romances, and the aspirations these encourage. It guides us to communicate and create solidarity, and with this strength, allow the storm to pass. It implores us to be thankful and optimistic with soothing narrative and song.

It was a genuine pleasure working on this album review, and speaking a little with Indolore himself:

On music: I’ve been thinking recently about why I’ve continued to make music over the years. It’s no longer the search for recognition or fame. I understood that music has become my means of expression. My past and present emotions are threaded through new rhythms and sounds. I let them go. Looking back, I understand the deep meaning of my songs and to whom they are addressed, sometimes years later! My direct influences are more to be found in my own life, in my encounters, in my mistakes (if you consider that following your heart is a mistake). Jazz caught me when I was 17. It took me back in time, decades before I was born, into a fantasy world. I first played the saxophone, then much later the piano and the guitar. My journey sounds like wandering. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to find your own voice. Sometimes you never find it. I was lucky. I love John Coltrane, as well as the Beatles and French poetry On After the Rain: In my case, I need time to put a few songs together in order to understand their common message, if there is one 🙂 Usually, when songs come together in a short period of time, they all come from the same emotional source. I finished writing ‘After the Rain’ during the first lockdown last year. I didn’t intend to deal directly with the pandemic. However, there was a light in each of the songs and I liked that. I went for it. Unconsciously, I was renewing my hope for a new life, even more intense than before. It’s this caring feeling that I want to pass on through this album. On becoming a musician: I would like to set up a band again. I would also like to keep the freedom to go off on my own, to sing in unusual places, far from my bases. I would like everything, I would like to live fully again, that’s what I wish for all of us! Touring with Morcheeba was like taking a crash course in stage presence and show business at Harvard! There’s no better way to know where you stand, to observe, to grow, to gain confidence. Touring is vital for a musician. I’m sad that I can’t travel freely anymore. I miss leaving on a whim. Music has made me meet so many great people. But like everyone else I remain patient and hopeful. I would say one thing to them (and to myself!): make things happen. For that: keep writing, keep producing. Tell your own story in your own words. Be true. What keeps me going every morning? My children, road-trips, and the unknown ahead of us.

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