And here it is, a fifth album for Leopardo, and the Swiss band is still asking life its meaning and how to deal with challenging human emotions.

Ironic lyrics, big questions and some new horizons. Hope has left the stage. It’s an album composed in a color between fatigue and acceptance. SIDE A / SIDE B, SIDE A / SIDE B. Turn the record again – we have been around the block. Pessimism is a repetition!

If we still hear the band is listening to the Country Teasers, Mark E Smith or Lou Reed, you can now expect some pop melodies, harmonium drones, a saxophone ensemble, goats field recordings from the mountain pasture, and a ’90s psychedelic jam to close the record.

Today, the group premieres “Bank Bank Bank,” of which vocalist/guitarist Romain Savary says, “[It is a] different color of our music, darker I would say, and probably influenced by the Fat White Family. Benoit Gerard, who recorded the album, also mentioned Acid Baby Jesus, another band we used to listen a lot, specially their LP Selected Recordings.

“I used to do an apprenticeship in a bank, starting when I was 15,” he adds. “I’m quite happy I saw this world from inside, it was sociologically interesting. I loved to wear the costume, but I wasn’t really successful in this job. I wanted to help clients, and that’s not what you’re supposed to do!”

The new album, SIDE A / SIDE B, hits the streets (Dot Dash Sounds – North America/Chrüsimüsi – Europe) on April 4, and a U.S. tour is expected to follow.

Photo courtesy of Leopardo.