In a year when pop releases often feel engineered for virality, Chalumeau’s debut BLUE (Aug. 7, 2025) arrives like a deliberate step in another direction. The Rhode Island–based duo—vocalist Katherine Bergeron and multi-instrumentalist/producer Butch Rovan—crafted the record not in writing rooms or through trend-driven sessions, but in motion.

Opener “Homecoming” sets the tone with layered harmonies and a sense of arrival—an invocation of Rhode Island itself as muse. From there, BLUE navigates strikingly varied terrain: the bluesy swagger of “Lies”, the Afro-Uruguayan pulse of “Candombe”, and the French-language noir of “La Vérité.” Standout “Hide” threads indie rock urgency through electronic textures, while “No Common Ground” bites with social commentary.

The title track “Blue” slows the pace, offering one of Bergeron’s most moving vocal turns—an exploration of melancholy that lingers long after the song ends. “My Hands Are Tied” and the closing “You Can Count on Me” are revivals of earlier Butch works, but they feel newly relevant here, rounding out the album’s arc with themes of connection and endurance.

Chalumeau’s decision to self-produce and self-master BLUE ensured the album stayed true to its vision. Recording over five intensive weeks, the duo treated the studio as a compositional tool, layering parts until hidden dimensions surfaced. There’s polish here, but no gloss—the kind of organic growth you rarely hear in 2025’s algorithm-fed pop landscape.

With Blue, Chalumeau has done something rare: they’ve made an album that feels unhurried and uncompromised, yet wholly contemporary. In a crowded release calendar, their patient, place-rooted approach stands out.

Stream BLUE on Spotify below.