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Jun 23, 2015 By Christopher Roberts Petite Noir

Petite Noir has announced his debut album and has shared a new song from it, “Down,” via its video. La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful is due out September 11 via Domino. It was preceded by The King of Anxiety EP, also released by Domino back in January. EP highlight “Chess” also appears on the album as its final track.

Petite Noir is Yannick Ilunga, a half-Congolese, half-Angolan, Cape Town-residing artist. La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful was recorded at Box Ten Studios in London with Oli Bayston (who also records as Boxed In) and Leon Brichard (Ibibio). The video for “Down” features footage filmed during Ilunga’s recent trip to Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lina Viktor designed the album’s cover. The album announcement press release explains the cover: “The malachite stone represented in the image is the stone of transformation, love and change-themes that are represented throughout the album itself.”

Petite Noir also has two upcoming U.S. shows, a July 14 headlining one in Brooklyn at Lot 45 and an appearance at the Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn on August 23. Check out “Down” below, followed by the tracklist, tour dates, and album cover. Also read our recent Pleased to Meet You interview with Petite Noir.

La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful Tracklist:

01. Intro Noirwave
02. Best
03. Freedom
04. Seventeen (Stay)
05. Just Breathe
06. La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful
07. MDR
08. Colour
09. Down
10. Inside
11. Chess

Petite Noir Tour Dates:

Sat July 4 || Belfort, France || Les Eurockéennes
Sat July 11 || Lausanne, Switzerland || Festival de la Cite
Tues July 14 || Brooklyn, New York || Lot 45
Sat July 18 || Dublin, Ireland || Longitude
Sun August 23 || Brooklyn, New York || AfroPunk Festival
Tues September 15 || London, UK || Lexington
Wed September 16 || Glasgow, UK || Stereo
Thu September 17 || Manchester, UK || Deaf Institute
Sat September 19 || Nurnburg, Festival, Germany || Melt!
Mon September 21 || Paris, France || Badaboum
Tues September 22 || Brussels, Belgium || Botanique/Witloofbar
Thu September 24 || Amsterdam, Netherlands || Melkweg
Fri September 25 || Hamburg, Festival, Germany || Reeperbahn Festival