Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay burst onto the musical airwaves with their remix of Simian’s ‘Never Be Alone’ in 2004, originally curated for a Paris college radio contest. This led to them being signed by the legendary French electro imprint, Ed Banger Records, which saw them do remixes for mainstream contemporaries such as Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk and Soulwax. 2007 saw them release their hyperactive gem of a generation debut, †, a forward thinking, engaging and, at times, darn right jarring three quarters of an hour of electro house masterclass. Put that together with their cool look of leather jackets, their cross logo and a blisteringly good live show, Justice quickly became the hottest group around.

But where did Justice go? It’s been 5 years since they released Audio, Video, Disco, their excessive guitar wielding abomination of a second album. Perhaps the musical duo were coming up with a plan on how to restore “credibility” after releasing something that could be likened to how Skrillex destroyed dubstep. Don’t get me wrong, Audio, Video, Disco wasn’t an utter car crash by any means for Justice – it the in fact pushed the Parisian pair into a more accessible market where they could meet new fans (mainly in America) through synch deals and the like, as after all, the sound was far more commercially acceptable when compared with the genre defying brute that came before.

So, Justice have given themselves a difficult decision – satisfy the fans they gained on their second album, appease alienated fans from their debut or try and find an unlikely median.

First track, ‘Safe and Sound’, sets the scene for the album – a big room disco sound with heaps of funk, done in their typically super cool way. Delicious strings dance above the fist pumping groove, delicate choir vocals creating a memorable chorus – this is a Justice anthem with a sort of slick sophistication that we haven’t seen from the duo before. The theme continues into the next track, ‘Pleasure’, with the soft disco sound being desperately catchy and uncharacteristically measured.

One of the best things about † was its amalgamation of genres, slightly lost on Audio, Video, Disco but fully restored on Woman; the Knight Rider vibe in ‘Alakazam!’ sees Justice’s take on synthwave, the slow pulsing chug in ‘Stop’ takes the shape of a blissful electro ballad, ‘Randy’ is pure 80s pop brilliance at its best, done on a big scale (strings included), and I shouldn’t need to explain ‘Heavy Metal’ other than it sounds strangely like Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue’. Yet the main thing that any Justice track must have is to suit what has become their natural habitat, the big stage and on big speakers, and it feels like Woman has never felt more at home.

Each of their three albums hold the same idea for art work, by bearing a leaning back cross which remains the one constant in Justice’s triplet of work. Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay have again created another album that doesn’t necessarily fit into the mould left by their previous albums, none of the sharp, harsh and forceful characteristics that made † such a distinctive and memorably release, but a far sunnier, smoother and melodic return than one could have ever imagined. Justice have performed an unlikely miracle by forgetting the youthful angst and rebellious sounds that dominated their previous records, instead opting to create a more dignified and mature listen that is so likable. It has Houdini’d them back to the very top of their game.
Iain Lauder

Website:justice.church
Facebook: facebook.com/etjusticepourtous