Meet the 24-year-old Peruvian London implant, Francois Peglau. The half-European, half-Sudoamericano solo musician doesn’t want you, the American, to hear his music. Okay, that’s not entirely true. But with his all-Spanish Myspace music profile and seemingly purposeful avoidance of U.S. tour dates, you can’t help but wonder.Peglau’s debut album, “The Imminent Failure of Francois Peglau,” is one not to be avoided, even if it’s hard for the average statesman to find in the first place. (The playful, vintage pop record that was recorded in his British apartment over a hairdresser’s studio will dutifully serve you with worthy summer playlist boosters. Try “One Minute to Midnight Dream (So Sad),” which is listenable on his crash-avenue.com artist profile.)
The DePaulia tracked down the elusive, anti-indie, not-actually-anti-American ex-band member of the Lima, Peru-born Los F–ckin Sombreros to answer our questions. And, alas! He spoke. Better yet, in English.
The DePaulia (DP): What’s the title of your debut album, “The Imminent Failure of Francois Peglau,” about? Hopefully that’s just irony and not staunch pessimism.
Francois Peglau (FP): Well, to be sincere is a little bit of both! [laughs] No, seriously, the whole project started from the beginning very linked to the idea of failure and success. When I first started posting songs, somebody told me I had failed as a musician because I never signed a deal with a major label. Instead of getting angry at such a stupid comment, I thought that it could be cool to play with this idea. Maybe I had really failed on my life so therefore my duty was to fail in an elegant manner, fail in a very successful way. And that’s how the whole concept began. Now my production company is called Fracaso (meaning “failure” in Spanish) and my live band is the Fracaso Band!
DP: How or what do you want people to feel or think about when hearing your record?
FP: Well, the music is very melodic so I hope the songs will make people feel happy. The only “twist” is that I try to make the lyrics touch topics not usual for pop songs-economic downturn, mortgage payments, the depression of Sundays, etc. It’s not that I am trying to make a big statement. It’s more related to make a personal commentary on life and its pressures. Hopefully, some people will connect with this and will say, “[Expletive] yeah, I feel the same!” For me, that’s mission accomplished.
DP: Describe your solo sound. How is it different from what it was in your former band, Los F–kin Sombreros?
FP: I always define it as Peruvian lo-fi pop. Peruvian, because I cannot imagine doing this kind of music and writing about what I write without living in such a surreal place for so many years. Lo-fi, because it has been recorded in the most unprofessional conditions, and pop because it is very melodic, I love melodic hooks. Los F–kin Sombreros was a rock’n’roll band, and I like to think that my solo project is very non-rock’n’roll. It’s not that I don’t like rock’n’roll, but I think that lately guitar bands are very bland. And I wanted to explore other sounds, like electronic beats, mixed with folk sounds and a little bit of reggae.
DP: You’re a Peruvian Londoner. What kind of appeal do you think you’ll have to an American audience?
FP: That’s a good question. Actually, I don’t know! For me, it has been a nice surprise that the record have been well received by so many U.S. blogs. I was not expecting that. Maybe it’s just the fact that I am trying to keep it very simple and direct. For me, “The Imminent Failure” is a record that is telling you the story of a Peruvian guy who moved to a very big city (London) and has to cope with his new life. There is no hidden agenda or big intellectual statement here. I have always tried to avoid all the pretentiousness that sometimes lingers to the indie scene. Some people may connect with this approach. Others probably like some of songs because they are catchy and they will not ask many questions. For me, both approaches are fine.
DP: Any plans to come over to the U.S.?
FP: I missed SXSW because of my work schedule. In summer, I am going to be playing in the U.K., Spain and Peru. But I think we are going to the U.S. to the CMJ Music Marathon (New York) in October.
DP: Now that the CD is out, what can we expect to see from you in the near future?
FP: Well, I will continue working on more songs. Since I released “The Imminent Failure,” I have been working on other songs and new videos for the remaining songs of the album. I am going to release a new video for “We Know We Won’t Make it” somewhere in April. I have also finished a video with photographer Hans Neumann in New York and this will be ready in May, probably. Then we will see what comes along.