Start Listening To: wavepool

French five-piece wavepool dive into dreamy textures and shoegazy hues on their debut EP Crayola.

Rouen’s wavepool make music that feels both hazy and clear-eyed, weaving fuzzy guitars, synths, and layered vocals into songs that balance warmth with an undercurrent of urgency. Built around demos crafted in guitarist Maryan’s apartment and expanded by Carine, Titou, Tadek, and Thalie, the band have already carved out a distinct sound that’s equal parts laidback and quietly intense. With their debut EP Crayola set to arrive alongside shows in France and the UK, we caught up with wavepool to talk about crayons, back pain, and building a musical world that listeners can sink into.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make? 

Maryan: Hi! My name is Maryan from wavepool, our band is made of Carine who sings and plays synths, Titou our drummer, Tadek our bassist and vocalist, Thalie who plays guitar and also sings, and myself. I play guitar and try to sing sometimes too. We are from Rouen in Normandy, France and we make kind of a laidback rock music with dreamy/fuzzy textures. Hope that helps! 

How did the experience of creating 'Blue Moon' differ from your debut single 'Tiny Cowboy,' both musically and emotionally? 

Maryan: They both had a similar creation experience. I make most of the music in my apartment and then propose it to the band, and they basically come up with great vocal lines! Either at their place and then they come to mine to record a demo and work on the vocals with me, or at the band practice we all try some stuff and see what works. For blue moon for example we just copied the guitar line I had for the verse and used it as the vocal line. For the chorus we had a first version but ended up finding something that fits the shoegazy vibe better at the band practice! 

The two songs have a very different vibe but they are just what came up in the moment. I don’t attach any particular emotion to them, at least concerning the process of creating them. 

Can you share how the themes of your upcoming EP Crayola reflect your own experiences and the world around you? 

Carine: The songs on Crayola come from different chapters of my life. Moments of joy, struggle and a lot of self-discovery. I wanted to explore a wide variety of personal emotions but at the same time, I wanted it to be quite relatable for everyone to connect with it. 

What is the story behind the title Crayola, and how does it connect to the music and visuals of the EP? 

Maryan: We were looking for an EP title and didn’t want to go the classic first release way of titling everything with our band name. We shared ideas and Carine came up with this brand of colourful kids crayons. We liked the sound of it and I also think that every track on the EP has its own personality while living in the same world, kind of like a box of crayons. 

How do you approach the songwriting process as a band, and what roles do each of you play in shaping the music? 

Maryan: Check question 2 for the process! It’s basically this way for almost every track we make. 

Is there a particular song on the EP that resonates with you the most, and what makes it special for you personally? 

Maryan: Tough choice! They all are kinda like my children… I think ‘In Thrall’, the last track of the EP, has the guitar work that I’m the most proud of. The vocals of Tadek and Carine just fit really well. It also has a beautiful ending that wraps the whole disc up, so here’s my choice. 

How do you envision the visual aesthetic of your music, and what elements do you think best represent your sound? 

Maryan: Sunny, blurry, misty, colourful but pale, fuzzy with touches of iridescence, that kind of stuff.

What plans do you have for live performances following the release of Crayola, and how do you intend to connect with your audience? 

Maryan: We have a few dates following the release of the EP! We are playing in Le Havre at Ouest Park festival 18th of October and other couple cities in France like Paris and Rennes, but UK we are also coming for you! We play in Brighton the 25th of October, it will be our first time playing in the UK and we are all stoked to play there. 

We are working on our live show right now, trying to make something special for the audience. Hopefully it turns out great and makes a good experience for everyone! 

In what ways do you see your music community influencing your sound and artistic direction as you continue to grow? 

Maryan: I don’t know! We don’t really have a community for now and we already have a lot of new music in the works so I guess we will be our own influence for the foreseeable future aha. I can’t wait to see how people will react to our music though, it’s made to be enjoyed and hopefully it will find its people. 

How do you balance the dreamy aspects of your music with the more urgent themes you explore in your lyrics? 

Maryan: The music I write is free from any themes, it’s just a mood for my bandmates to write lyrics on. They can talk about whatever the demo makes them feel or what they have in mind, it’s mostly Carine who writes the words so I’ll let her tell you how it works. 

Carine: I don’t think I necessarily try to balance, I just write whatever comes to me when I first hear the demo. Life itself can be both dreamy and urgent, sometimes you’re lost in your head and other times reality hits you hard, and I like to think that our songs capture that duality pretty well. 

What has the response been like to your music so far, and how has it shaped your perspective on your artistic journey? 

Maryan: We had very good responses so far! From our family and friends but also from the more professional music people. So based on that we will continue our artistic journey the way it is right now. 

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and how do you think that would influence your music? 

Maryan: Probably Patrick Flegel! I’m very into interesting guitar writing and I think he has made some of the best guitar based music ever. I would love to see how he approaches composing a song, they are always so complex yet catchy and interesting! 

What do you love right now? 

Maryan: My new Peavey amp, sounds so good but it's so damn heavy my back hurts. 

What do you hate right now? 

Maryan: Back pain.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you? 

Maryan: There’s so many… I recently reconnected with Red from King Crimson, which I’ve listened to a lot in my high school years. The songwriting and arrangements are so special, I think Starless is one of my favorite songs ever. 

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them? 

Maryan: Not one thing in particular but I hope that we have our own little world that they can instantly dive into and want to be a part of!