Since 2001, Duchess Says have been spreading the gospel of the influential and mysterious Church of Budgerigars. Their learned mix of hypnotic rock and saturated keys, concocted by Phil C., Ismaël and Simon Says, is delivered by A-C, a sermon laden with the teachings of the novice Mère-Perruche. In order to better contextualize their message the four acolytes of the Ch. O. B. released a first long player in 2008, Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs. Since then they’ve unleashed a number of pagan celebrations: SXSW, le Festival d’été de Québec, Nuits Sonores, Dour, Osheaga, Primavera Sound, Eurockéennes and CMJ, to name a few. They’ve also played in a slew of nasty basements and other joyous venues. In 2009 Duchess Says opened up for Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ UK tour.

The congregation has prayed the three Ts; now it’s time to reiterate. In a Fung Day T! is their second offering. Adrian Popovich and Joseph Donovan of the Mountain City studio have succeeded in recording a dynamic, dancing alienation. Hypnotizing keys to give order to the sectors; a palpable tension in the main district; refrains hammered ad infinitum – an infinity of ten psalms.

In a Fung DAY T! treats the listener to short blitzes of energy, nearly reaching the climax of noise rockers Lightning Bolt, interspersed with what will become new fan favorites. One of the more outstanding jams, S.O.H…, is a nice and loose danceable number that recalls the early 80s new wave sound. The record closes with the longest track of the album, a slumbering dark sexy number that recalls the blood red curtain vibes of a David Lynch soundtrack.

Duchess Says’ penchant for blending aggressive music with dance music works well and makes them comparable to other famous Canadian exports such as Death From Above, Fucked Up and even Crystal Castles at times. This is magnified by the undeniable intensity and sheer originality of high priestess/vocalist Annie Claude. Anyone who has witnessed the band live knows the pure theatrical mayhem that ensues, with onstage antics approaching those of Jesus Lizard’s David Yow.

Duchess Says have already shared the stage with the likes of Ariel Pink, Crystal Castles, Fucked Up, Gossip, Teenage Jesus, and Waaves and will add to that with touring in support of In a Fung DAY T!, most notably in Quebec, France and a U.S. tour in Winter/Spring 2012.

If the weekly missal isn’t part of your regular reading list, there are also a few more pragmatic, if entertaining, publications that have had a few things to say about Duchess Says:

“That commotion turned out to be singer Annie-C Deschêne of Duchess Says, a one-woman mosh pit of sorts. She raced around like the Tasmanian Devil, alternately hugging and punching, and wrestling people while shrieking along to her band’s aggressive no wave. At the end of the set, Annie-C organized a race among audience members, who gleefully ran around the periphery of the lot.”
Pitchfork