With his latest album Sombre Samba, the French folk rock musician Benjamin Quartz continues to prove that heartbreak sounds better with acoustic guitars and European flair.
“Sometimes the warmth we crave is just the glow of everything ending.”
“Pyromane”, which translates to “arsonist” for those of us who skipped French class, is essentially about being attracted to someone who’s terrible for you. You know, that person who walks into your life and sets everything on fire, metaphorically speaking. Or maybe literally, if you’re really unlucky.
The track opens with this restrained tension that builds throughout, accompanied by fingerpicked guitar work. Quartz describes his muse as “half fire, half woman,” which is probably the most poetic way anyone’s ever said “she’s hot but she’ll destroy you.” Quartz is not giving you life lessons or moral clarity. He’s just documenting the experience of being drawn to chaos, complete with all the fear and fascination that comes with it.
The song closes with clapping hands and castanets, transporting you to that fire-dancing imagery that inspired the whole thing. It’s a smart production choice that grounds the existential dread in something almost celebratory.
Stream it before you make your next bad decision. At least you’ll have a good soundtrack!
Muse Chronicle 
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