Enfant Sauvage's Seeds of Song
Enfant Sauvage translates to 'wild child' in French and is also the name of one of Francoise Truffaut's iconic movies of the 1970s. Its association with art house cinema is relevant given the artsy electronic beats and music videos that this artist tries to replicate. The term Enfant Sauvage also refers to a certain boundless and unlimited wildness. Much like a wildflower, which thrives and grows almost anywhere, there is an aura of transcendental liberty surrounding Enfant Sauvage's music - it's experimental at its core but deeply profound. The synthesis of musical beats with the visuals of their music videos makes the final message of the song truly emphatic.
Enfant Sauvage's music starts out as a mere seed of a song before transforming itself into a thing of beauty with its eclectic electronic beats, just like wildflowers themselves.
In ‘Silent Love,’ the solitary journeys of both protagonists are traced before they come together. The turning point or moment when one of them glances at the other is infused with the tension of unsaid thoughts and deafening silence of subdued emotions. The shifting pace of the music mirrors the discomfort prevalent in the air and makes the audience wonder what has kept the two protagonists mentally apart even when they are physically occupying similar spaces. Silent Love shows the need to get away and burn certain versions of yourself only to be more at peace with one's true purpose. In the music video, the main protagonist burns an effigy of himself, almost stripping away from his past and trying to redefine his present. At this juncture, the music swiftly changes its tone. The song begins with the line, "we used to go to that place, but it looks different now," reinforcing the amount of time that has passed - most spaces transform with the ravages of time until they become partially or almost completely unrecognisable - no longer coinciding with our initial memory of it. At the end of the music video, the same line, "there's a silent love for you, and it echoes," repeatedly plays as the two main protagonists unknowingly come together and shield themselves from the rain. This simple act brings the audience close to the protagonists who are not only kept at a distance from one another but also the audience itself, for most part of the music video. At this moment, they make eye contact a second time - probably hinting at the possibility of 'what could've been' or even the burning embers of emotion. Sometimes a subtle glance such as this one is enough to signify the presence of love, however silent and invisible it may seem.
In ‘Time to Fall’, Enfant Sauvage captures the same protagonists from ‘Silent Love,’ being a continuation of their narrative. However, it places the protagonists in a different context focusing more on their collision and apparent coming together. The music video begins by capturing the simplicity and joy of a car ride with friends - making the affection and closeness almost palpable through its imagery. The next scene is set in a party taking place in the middle of the fields - a space that is relatively underrated and is seldom the product of music videos. Enfant Sauvage tries to showcase the beauty of such hidden, imperfect and forgotten areas. The untouched nature of such spaces makes them a delicacy - at once liberating and cathartic. The beats of Time to Fall seem distant and faint, only growing and becoming louder as the main protagonists in the video finally collide with each other. As they dance together, the music reaches its crescendo before breaking apart as an act of violence plays out before them. The fleeting nature of their togetherness before violence takes over showcases the fragility of their relationship. Such moments of passion and calm cannot be savoured or processed because they are dispelled far too soon.
Such music is multilayered given its subject matter, visuals and synchronization of beats—there will always be so much which is not explicitly shown but inherently felt—which is what Enfant Sauvage brings to the fore.
Enfant Sauvage's debut album ‘Petrichor’ comes out on November 19th and promises to be an intimate display of human fragility and emotionality. Its gripping and visually stunning cinematography perfectly combine with the synth beats of the tracks themselves.
‘Petrichor’ is the scent and aroma of wet sand after a heavy downpour—a distinctive yet fleeting smell one yearns for the moment it is gone; or simply wishes to bottle only to realise the inevitability of its passing. Such could be the effect of Enfant Sauvage's music—a profoundness with a touch of sublimity.