Montréal-based electronic artist and producer Marie Davidson knows how to get my attention.
“City of Clowns,” her sixth studio album released Feb. 28, 2025, on DEEWEE Records, struck me with its distinctive album cover shot by Nadine Fraczkowski with creative direction by Ill-Studio.
Anyone who is native to the Atlantic City, New Jersey, region, where The High Note has been based since 2012, knows exactly where its album cover was shot — in fact, I’ve taken photos of that exact angle multiple times and have seen the same view while getting changed in and out of wetsuits before and after surfing sessions.
Made in collaboration with Soulwax and Pierre Guerineau, who is Davidson’s partner in the duo Essaie Pas, the album uses techno and electro to explore the pervasive impact of technology on society, using Shoshana Zuboff’s book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” as its core theme.
“Most people have a clown inside of them. Some are funny, some are shy, some are twisted, some are dark. The clown is the part of us that is dying to be seen, for better or for worse,” Davidson said in a release about the album.
After a brief introduction that sets the theme on “Validations Weight,” the album begins properly with “Demolition,” a track that has heavy ’80s electropop vibes. It features the eerie refrain, “I do what I do, and I do it well.”
On the lead single, “Sexy Clown,” Davidson points to her self-awareness: “You like it when I’m mean? You find it sexy? Don’t get it confused, ’cause I do it for me,” over a beat that reminds me of 2000s techno.
There are a lot of contrasts between the lyricism and production on the album, which makes each track more compelling than the last. In “Push Me Fuckhead,” the industrial techno is the opposite of the spoken word, with almost innocent-sounding instructions walking the listener through the process.
She’s also great at switching up sounds mid-track — like on “Fun Times,” which starts out minimalist and then evolves into a techno groove with funk-inspired synth brass.
One of my favorite beats is the cyberpunk techno on “Statistical Modelling,” which reminds me of Plastikman and has a strong synergy between the title and the rhythm of the beat.
Davidson pairs her spoken word over the electropop of “Y.A.A.M.” and delivers the very danceable chorus:
“Give me passion, give me more, I want your ass on the floor
All your asses on the floor, yes, all your asses on the floor.”
Davidson lets the music speak for her on “Contrarian,” which is short on lyrics and has the heaviest club beat on the album, spiraling into a techno-fueled symphony.
There’s a strong dub influence on “Unknowing,” which decays into a spacey cyberpunk track that continues to morph as layers are added and removed.
Marie Davidson’s “City of Clowns” ends with a bang on the Soulwax remix of “Y.A.A.M.,” a high-octane electro banger that transforms her sharp-tongued critique into a sardonic club anthem. With distorted synths, pulsing beats and defiant energy, it’s a blistering finale that leaves the dance floor — and the listener — buzzing.
“City of Clowns” is a bold, satirical and sonically gripping album that dances on the edge of irony and introspection, holding a mirror to modern life through pounding beats and razor-sharp wit. With its cover shot in Atlantic City — the hometown of The High Note — it feels especially fitting to spotlight Marie Davidson, who is unafraid to expose the performance behind the persona.
Don’t miss Marie Davidson at the Making Time TRANSCENDENTAL 25th Anniversary celebration Saturday, April 26, at Warehouse on Watts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Get “City of Clowns” from DEEWEE records, Bandcamp, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, qobuz, and deezer.
Favorite Tracks
Demolition
Sexy Clown
Push Me Fuckhead
Fun Times
Statistical Modelling
Y.A.A.M.
Contrarian
Y.A.A.M. – Soulwax Version
