Photo: Amic Bedel

Formed in Toulouse in 2014, Cocanha have been instrumental in bringing new energy into French traditional music. Singing in Occitan, Caroline Dufau and Lila Fraysse, who make up the band, work with a stripped-back combination of voice and percussion. They have announced the release of their third album, Flame Folclòre, arriving on May 15th through Bongo Joe. Produced by Raül Refree, the album keeps their core sound but reflects a change in how they now operate as a duo, following the departure of former member Maud Herrera. As Fraysse explains, they had to “adapt the way we performed, and rethink our roles, the vocals and instrumentation.” It’s also their first album made up of their own original songs, rather than reworking traditional material.

Flame Folclòre engages directly with the history surrounding folk music, including its associations and how it has been used in the past. Fraysse explains that they “wanted to understand where the uneasiness around folklore and folk groups came from. This uneasiness has a history.” She adds, “Our folk traditions were trapped within a reactionary and conservative image that they are still trying to shake off.” Fraysse describes the record as “our way of reclaiming this territory, promoting a vision of folk that is subversive and liberating.”

Ahead of the album’s release, Cocanha have shared the first single, ‘Clam’. An enthralling and ecstatic introduction to Flame Folclòre, ‘Clam’ has a stop-start rhythm and lyrically addresses the long state-backed suppression of the Occitan language, spoken in Southern France, as well as parts of Italy and Spain. Listen to it below.