Indie sleaze is back — not that we ever called it that at the time, mind. Every 20 years or so, the trend cycle turns. The ’80s gave us new wave. The 2000s revived it through CSS, LCD Soundsystem, and their ilk. Now, right on cue, La Sécurité have arrived to carry the torch with maximum swagger and minimal apology. Bingo!, their sophomore LP, is saucy, funky, and an absolute blast.
The Montréal five-piece have been building toward this moment. Their 2023 debut, Stay Safe!, longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, announced them as one of the more exciting acts crawling out of the city’s DIY underground. Since then they’ve played SXSW, UK festivals End of the Road and The Great Escape, toured alongside The Go! Team and The Rapture, and spent every minute of the journey getting tighter, weirder, and more assured.
When CONE caught them at Bristol’s Thekla in 2025, singer Éliane Viens-Synnott leapt off the stage mid-set to spark a mini mosh pit and the whole room ignited. That same spark is all over Bingo!. This is the sound of a band completely locked in with one another.
Their art punk sits at a busy crossroads, where jumpy beats colliding with off-kilter arrangements, minimalist melodic hooks, and a relentless, neon-lit energy that feels distinctly nocturnal. It’s the kind of music that could only come from a city that doesn’t sleep. Beneath all that noise, the lyrics carry the spirit of the Riot Grrrl movement, celebrating female autonomy and friendship. Chaotic, but never careless.
There’s also the small matter of the synthesizers. They come utterly in your face, with zero subtlety and no apologies—and all the better for it. Worn proudly up front, they crash into the mix like they own the place. That kind of presence is always welcome. It’s instant fun, bypassing the brain entirely and going straight to the feet.
The production mirrors that energy with precision. Recorded live off the floor with rare ribbon microphones and vintage compressors, engineered by Renny Wilson and mixed by bassist Félix Bélisle alongside Emmanuel Éthier, the album is welcomingly punchy while slick enough to let the grooves breathe and the beats slide straight into your bloodstream. Mastered by Robin Schmidt — who has done the same for the Pixies and The Hives — it hits with real authority.
Speaking of Bélisle, he stands out as the MVP. His bass acts as the magnetic center everything else orbits, anchoring the band’s more erratic impulses while quietly goading them forward. “Chill Pill” is a prime example —a wiry, off-kilter track with a Bowie-esque wonkiness to the guitars that dares you not to move.
Midway through, “Princesse” wisely offers a moment to breathe. Viens-Synnott leans largely into French as the band pull back into something more atmospheric and genuinely spooky. Even then, their madcap instincts still poke through the shadows. You can’t expect them to keep it contained for an entire runtime, and frankly, you wouldn’t want them to.
If the Thekla show last year hinted at what was coming, Bingo! delivers on every promise. It pulls together ’70s grooves, early ’80s post-punk jaggedness, and a healthy shot of 2000s self-destructive party vibes. It’s all here on record, sharper and more confident. La Sécurité sound like a band who’ve found their footing and are sprinting. Ten tracks, not a moment wasted. And yes, that is the ideal album length. This writer is prepared to die on that hill.
Bingo! is erratic, taut, and built for summer. It gets your foot tapping, your ass shaking, and at times, your morals flying out the window. It delivers a rush that gets you pumped in the most uncomplicated, joyful way imaginable.
Now go grab something shiny and hit the town.