Press
... The album takes its name from a pivotal ballad, “Blue,” which captures its emotional core: a meditation on melancholy, trust, wisdom, and vulnerability. ...
... Chalumeau ’s debut album, Blue, makes an immediate impression. The duo, Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan, are Brown University professors who step into the role of musicians with striking confidence. ...
... Grief doesn’t need to be loud to be heard. In “Blue,” the newest single from Chalumeau, it hums under every note like an undertow—subtle, persistent, inescapable. ...
... There’s something quietly devastating about Chalumeau ’s “My Hands Are Tied.” Not because it delivers emotional crescendos with stadium-level drama or spills its pain into easy, streaming-era confession. It does neither. ...
... Bergeron’s delivery is haunted. “I’ll never reveal the way I feel inside,” she sings — and yet, we hear everything. ...
... Chalumeau, the project of Brown University professors Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan, sidesteps this trap with startling grace. On “My Hands Are Tied,” they deliver something intimate, unflinching, and quietly devastating. ...
... Some songs hit hard with their volume; others hit harder with what they withhold. Chalumeau ‘s “My Hands Are Tied” belongs firmly in the latter camp — a heartbreak track that resists melodrama but bleeds with emotional truth. ...
... The song emerged from an unusual genesis story. Rovan penned the original version during the early stages of their friendship, marking his return to songwriting after years of creative drought. ...
... Chalumeau ’s new single “Never Give Up” doesn’t chase trends. It doesn’t explode, resolve, or comfort. Instead, it lingers. And that’s its power. ...
... Some songs hit like a punch. Others like a hug. Chalumeau ’s “Never Give Up” doesn’t do either. It’s more like watching the tide roll in around your feet—slow, persistent, impossible to ignore. ...
... There are protest songs. There are breakup songs. And then there’s Chalumeau ‘s “Never Give Up”—a track that doesn’t shout, doesn’t plead, and doesn’t fake hope. Instead, it offers something harder to write and even harder to live: a reckoning. ...
... The first time “Hide” slams through your speakers, it’s like watching someone kick down the door of a burning building. Chalumeau ‘s latest single doesn’t just confront betrayal – it grabs it by the throat and demands answers with such unflinching intensity that you’ll find yourself catching your breath between verses. ...
... Providence-based duo Chalumeau releases “Hide“, a hard-charging rock track that dissects betrayal with surgical precision. Conceived during a pandemic-era road trip, the song channels the claustrophobic tension of lockdown into a sonic pursuit of truth, blending blistering lyricism with unrelenting instrumentation. ...
... The lyrics open with a volley of questions—“Was that the best you could do? Were you really a friend?” —delivered in a rhythm that mimics the intensity of a courtroom interrogation. Bergeron’s phrasing opts for a clipped urgency that amplifies the song’s focus on accountability. ...
... Chalumeau, the Rhode Island-based duo of Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan, releases “Hide,” a taut, rock-driven examination of betrayal. Unflinching and deliberate, the track trades melodrama for precision, exploring the disintegration of trust with clarity and control. ...
... Musically, “Hide” is a masterclass in genre-bending production. Rovan’s groundbreaking work fuses hard rock riffs with bluesy rhythms to create a sonic landscape at once timeless and modern. ...
... Providence-based rock duo Chalumeau, comprised of Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan, has shared their latest single, “Hide,” a blistering track. With its electrifying sounds, the track is a ruthless confrontation with betrayal, delivering a cathartic release. ...
... Katherine Bergeron’s voice is full of fire. She’s not asking for explanations. She’s demanding truth. If you’ve ever called someone out for lying, you’ll feel this one hit hard. No sadness, just anger and clarity. ...
... “Hide” is the moment you slip and reveal a truth you wouldn’t have liked to hear. “You thought I should be glad of your sad luck story. But now that I see you, you can’t hide,” Bergeron snarls with anger and pain. No finesse here; every line a charge, every word a demand for justice. ...
... The visual accompaniment to “Hide” is equally striking. The lyric video is drenched in red, with figures racing through dark, desolate streets—visualizing the chase for clarity, the desperate scramble to escape the truth that can’t be outrun. ...
... A line in the refrain, “Je vais chanter la vérité toujours quand je pense à toi,” translates to “I will always sing the truth when I think of you,” highlighting the absence of love as a message for those who have moved past heartbreak. ...
... Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan, both Brown University educators, bring their academic precision and artistic passion to a track that defies easy categorization. Their years in Paris aren’t just biographical footnotes but essential context for understanding their sophisticated approach to songcraft. ...
... Bergeron and Rovan, the creative minds behind Chalumeu, bring with them loads of experience in classical music, jazz, and songwriting. Their music deeply resonates with listeners, reflecting individual stories and universal human experiences ...
... It’s a fitting metaphor for a song about romantic regret and missed connections. The murmured French vocals don’t translate so much as they transmit pure emotion, creating an intimate space where language becomes secondary to feeling. ...
... The accompanying lyric video further enhances the song's evocative power, paying respect to Louis Malle's groundbreaking 1958 film, "Ascenseur à l’échafaud" (Elevator to the Gallows). The film's long takes and true-to-life settings characterize the French New Wave. ...
... The duo’s academic backgrounds (both are professors) shine through in their intellectual approach to songwriting, but “Lies” never feels didactic. Instead, it grooves with the kind of authentic swagger that can’t be manufactured, calling to mind the sophisticated protest music of Nina Simone while carving out its own distinct identity. ...
... Chalumeau, the genre-blending duo of Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan, has released their latest single, “Candombe“, a high-energy anthem of resilience, transformation, and emotional liberation. ...
... This holiday season, Chalumeau —the innovative duo of Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan—invites you to embrace the rhythm of resilience with their uplifting new single, “Candombe.” ...
... While the song’s subject matter might be dark, there’s a sense of catharsis in its rhythm. The blues has always had a way of turning pain into a dance, and “Lies” does just that. ...
... Chalumeau ’s track “Lies” offers more than just a catchy melody—it serves as a sharp, insightful critique of deceit and manipulation in both personal and societal contexts. ...
... The track is a raw reflection of the current climate, and Bergeron describes it as something that resonates deeply with listeners. “It’s a song that strikes a deep chord with folks when we play it for them,” she explains. ...
