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Canadian dream-pop duo Bodywash has released “La Renommée,” a mesmeric rock song linked to its forthcoming album Laughing At Noise. Chris Steward described its inspiration in Kim Gordon’s autobiography and Sonic Youth’s EVOL-era music; Long Decter said its lyrics connect a fictional bartender with a winged statue in Montreal’s Jeanne Mance Park. The album is scheduled for Nov. 20 on Light Organ.
Canadian dream-pop duo Bodywash has released “La Renommée,” a new song from its forthcoming album Laughing At Noise, scheduled for Nov. 20 on Light Organ. The band’s Chris Steward said the track was shaped by Kim Gordon’s autobiography and Sonic Youth’s EVOL-era music, while bandmate Long Decter connected its lyrics to a statue in Montreal’s Jeanne Mance Park.
Steward described the goal as writing a song with what he called the “hushed sense of urgency” he associated with that period of Sonic Youth. He said he had been reading Gordon’s autobiography and listening to the band’s EVOL-era work while developing the track. The finished song also took an unexpected rhythmic turn: Steward said he had not known whether the bossa nova-inspired drums in its first verse would work.
Decter said the lyrics bring together two figures: a fictional bartender and a real monument, La Renommée, depicting a winged woman in Jeanne Mance Park in Montreal. He said the figures may be understood as the same presence, standing guard over the city from a fixed position. Decter also cited Kasia Van Schaik’s book Women Among Monuments as part of what brought the statue to mind.
“La Renommée” follows earlier songs connected to Laughing At Noise, including “Come And Go” and “Lapsang.” Stereogum praised those tracks in its coverage, and described “Lapsang” as one of its five best songs of the week. The album’s announced release date is Nov. 20, with Light Organ named as the label.
A New Clue to the Album’s Sound
The single offers a clearer picture of the musical references and lyrical ideas behind Laughing At Noise without establishing that the whole album follows the same approach. Steward’s account points to Sonic Youth as a specific influence on “La Renommée,” while the unusual contrast he describes—hushed urgency and bossa nova-inspired opening drums—helps distinguish this song’s construction.
Decter’s explanation also gives the title a local and visual reference: a Montreal statue whose fixed, elevated position informed the song’s imagined connection between a monument and a bartender. For listeners, that detail links the track’s fictional lyrics to a real place, while the upcoming album date provides a concrete next release milestone.
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The Track’s References and Setting
Bodywash is described in the source report as a Canadian dream-pop duo. Before “La Renommée,” the group had shared “Come And Go” and “Lapsang” in connection with the forthcoming record. Stereogum’s positive response to those songs is the publication’s assessment, not a claim about broader reception or sales.
The statue Decter cited is a winged woman called La Renommée in Jeanne Mance Park, Montreal. His comments identify it as an inspiration for the song’s lyrics, alongside the invented bartender. The source does not provide further details about the monument’s history or say that the song is a direct historical account.
““I’d been reading Kim Gordon’s autobiography and listening to a lot of EVOL-era Sonic Youth at the time and wanted to write a song that had the same hushed sense of urgency.””
— Chris Steward
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Album Details Still to Come
The source gives the album’s title, label and scheduled date, but does not specify a track list, running time, format, or whether “La Renommée” is the final single before release. It also does not provide details about the song’s recording or production beyond Steward’s comments on its inspiration and first-verse drums.
The reported material does not establish how the album as a whole compares with this single, or whether the band intends the fictional bartender and the statue to be literally identical within a larger narrative. Decter presents their connection as an idea in the lyrics; further interpretation remains open.
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The November Album Release
The next stated milestone is the release of Laughing At Noise on Nov. 20 through Light Organ. Until then, listeners can hear “La Renommée” alongside the previously shared “Come And Go” and “Lapsang.” The source report does not announce additional singles, live dates, or other promotional plans.
Further information about the album’s track list and release formats may clarify how the new song fits into the full record, but those details were not included in the announcement. For now, the confirmed update is the single’s release and the album’s scheduled date.
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Key Questions
Who released “La Renommée”?
Bodywash, a Canadian dream-pop duo, released the track.
What inspired the song?
Chris Steward cited Kim Gordon’s autobiography and Sonic Youth’s EVOL-era music as influences on the song’s sound. Long Decter said the lyrics connect a fictional bartender with a winged statue in Montreal.
What is La Renommée?
As described by Decter, it is a winged-woman statue in Jeanne Mance Park in Montreal, which informed the song’s lyrics.
When is Laughing At Noise due?
The album is scheduled for Nov. 20 on Light Organ. The source does not specify the year in the release information provided.
Source: rss
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