Au Revoir Simone is an indie pop band from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, formed in late 2003. The band consists of Erika Forster (vocals/keyboard), Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard/bass), and Heather D'Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard). The name "Au Revoir Simone" comes from a line in Tim Burton's 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Known for a dreamy and synth-centered sound, the band blends influences from indie pop, electronic, and dream pop.
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Au Revoir Simone is an indie pop band from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, formed in late 2003. The band consists of Erika Forster (vocals/keyboard), Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard/bass), and Heather D'Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard). The name "Au Revoir Simone" comes from a line in Tim Burton's 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Known for a dreamy and synth-centered sound, the band blends influences from indie pop, electronic, and dream pop.
Forster and Hart first met on a train returning to New York from Vermont and bonded over a shared interest in forming an all-keyboard band. Soon after, they recruited D'Angelo along with Sung Bin Park (keyboard/vocals). Park left the group in December 2004, leading to the formation of the trio. On March 23, 2005, Au Revoir Simone released their debut album, Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation, on their own label, Our Secret Record Company. Moshi Moshi Records later released the album in Europe on October 31, and the Rallye Label issued it in Japan. Critics praised its "ethereal" synth-pop sound, with Pitchfork describing it as “simple, elegant, and ethereal.”
Their early performances and rising reputation led to significant tours, including their first in the US, Canada, and Europe in the summer of 2006 with We Are Scientists. The band's second album, The Bird of Music, was released on March 5, 2007, and included tours with Peter Bjorn and John and Voxtrot. British Vogue lauded their distinct sound, and Spin magazine described the record as “make-out music for your inner android.”
Au Revoir Simone reached a new audience on May 21, 2007, when they performed in Paris at the Fondation Cartier as part of a David Lynch retrospective. They played on a set styled after Lynch's Eraserhead, lending their synth-driven sound an atmospheric dimension that fit the event’s theme. Later that year, the band made appearances at the Treasure Island Music Festival and the Monolith Festival.
The band’s third album, Still Night, Still Light, produced by Thom Monahan, was released on May 19, 2009, and drew further praise from critics, with Pitchfork referring to it as "feather-light electropop that's not to be taken lightly." In July 2009, they performed at the Lovebox Festival in London and closed out the year with a headlining tour in Japan.
Innovative and committed to creative expression, Au Revoir Simone launched one of the first interactive music videos in 2010 with their single “Knight of Wands,” allowing viewers to engage directly in the video’s creation in a coloring-book style. After a significant hiatus, the band returned on September 24, 2013, with their fourth studio album, Move in Spectrums, released on the Instant Records label revived by Richard Gottehrer. Critics noted the album as possibly the band's most sophisticated work yet.
Following this, on June 23, 2015, the band released the digital single “Red Rabbit.” Since then, they haven't released any new music, but performed at the Roadhouse in the 2017 revival of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, and also appeared on the Storyboard podcast in 2021. Erika Forster formed Summer Moon in 2015 and Nice as Fuck in 2016. Annie Hart released a solo album in 2017.
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…shrink me down again