Angèle Taps Justice, Soulwax and SebastiAn for New Album ‘Instinct’
Angèle's third album 'Instinct' arrives October 16 with Justice, Soulwax, SebastiAn and Caroline Polachek on the tracklist — lead single "Une seule vie" is out now.
Belgian pop star Angèle just announced her third album, and the guest list reads like a French-touch family reunion. Instinct lands October 16 via Angèle VL Records and Sony Music, and it features Justice, Soulwax, and SebastiAn — three names that need zero introduction if you’ve spent any time on a dancefloor in the last two decades.
Here’s how the collabs break down, according to the announcement: Justice show up on a track called “What You Want,” Soulwax handle “Trop,” and SebastiAn appears alongside Caroline Polachek on “Love Triangle.” That’s Grammy-winning electro royalty, Belgium’s most reliable dance-rock duo, and an Ed Banger original all on one pop record. Not bad company.
The lead single “Une seule vie” is already out — it dropped Friday, August 28 — complete with a music video directed by Thomas Mailaender. It’s your first real taste of where Angèle’s head is at this time around: per the announcement, the album digs into “the tension between control and release, image and reality, and the different versions of ourselves that emerge when we stop trying to fit into a fixed identity.” Heavy themes, sure, but if the guest list is any indication, this thing is going to move.
If you only know Angèle from her Dua Lipa collab “Fever” or her scene-stealing runs at Coachella, know that she’s a genuinely massive deal in the French-speaking world — her debut Brol went multi-platinum, and she sells out arenas across France and Belgium. Her linking up with Justice and Soulwax isn’t a random pop-star-grabs-credibility move either; it’s a natural fit for an artist who’s always kept one foot in club culture. And French electronic music is having a real moment right now — Fred again.. just went b2b with Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter at Alexandra Palace, in case you missed it.
The full tracklist runs 13 songs, from the opener “Instinct (intro)” through “NYC Blues” at the close, with the collabs scattered through the back half. Will the Justice track sound like Hyperdrama-era stadium electro or something softer? We’ve got until October 16 to find out. Stream “Une seule vie” below and judge the direction for yourself.
