Electric Jaguar Baby – Clair-Obscur

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · October 20, 2025

The long standing duo from Paris, France called Electric Jaguar Baby have returned with a brand new album entitled Clair-Onscur on Majestic Mountain Records. The band consists of Franck on drums and vocals, and Tony on guitar and vocals. Formed in 2015, they have released a slew of recordings including: 2016’s EP 1, 2017’s Moonshiner EP, 2018’s Old Songs From Beyond EP, 2019’s Self Titled debut album, 2021’s Maximum Fuzz Live, 2022’s Psychic Death Safari, 2024’s Supersonic Live, and their latest, 2025’s Clair-Obscur. Clair-Obscur was released on September 5th 2025 and contains twelve tracks just shy of fifty minutes in length.

Clair-Obscur is my introduction into the rocking sounds of Electric Jaguar Baby. When the marching drum snare builds up with the opening riff, it was an instant connection! The overdriven tone of the guitars and rawness of the production adds a charm to the hard riff rocking grooves that “Heroine” delivers. The music reminds me of old Josiah, on their Into The Outside record. The vocals on this track are courtesy of special guest Chris Babalis from the doom crushing, Acid Mammoth. His vocals work nicely with this song and it has a haunting lure about them. It’s a great opening track that gives you a quick synapse of the band. The second track, “Bring Me Down” features another guest singer named Patron. It’s another catchy rocker with an upbeat drive that makes you want to move. The vocals are deep, reminding me of Neil Fallon from Clutch, and the chorus parts are hook-laden and fantastic.

The third track is called “Stray From The Path”. It has a nice desert/ psych flow of rhythm with raspy, yet melodious singing. It’s a slower mover that breaks up the album nicely and revs everything back up on the next track. “My Way” is a high octane energy booster of a song! The punk rocking injection is the fix we are given. The grooving “Goin Thru The Blue, Part II” has a hypnotic bass and drum presence underneath a cool bluesy guitar riff. It has a heavy tribal drum break mid way through which is awesome. Electric Jaguar Baby are cranking out the jams on this record! I dig the track listing order because it displays sonic fluctuations in the band’s style with each individual song killing it.

Clair-Obscure has a very raw production that gives the sound a vintage and uplifting feel. The grittiness of their sound is felt on tracks like “Nightmare” and “The Fastest Ride”. It does sound like a classic seventies production, with a mega dose of fuzz. The next track entitled “Anything” begins with a quick musical blunder that keeps the tape rolling, exposing musical mistakes naturally. It fits the ethos of this album, that rock n’ roll is about energy and fun and not perfection.

“Winterholidays Vs Fuzzroutine” has a bouncy grunge rock rhythm happening. Despite the unusual song title, it’s another killer song that rocks hard. “Hownow” begins with a funky drum beat with a wall of fuzz. The punk rock vocals and vibes resonate throughout this one. The heavy bass sound is nice with the catchy chorus melodies to boot. The guitar leads are also great on this whole recording, not over done but enhancing on any given song.

The final track on this excellent recording is called “The Oswald Cobblespot Complex”. It’s an interesting and amazing journey into psych rock and atmospheric transcendence. The song has an airy flow that is hypnotizing and draws you in for the whole ride. The subtle build up at the end is beautiful, bass riff heightened, and drums pounding away. It’s a perfect closing track to include, highlighting another dimension to the awesome duo, Electric Jaguar Baby. This album would have made my top ten of the third quarter if I had heard it in time.