Contre Jour

Contre Jour is a French trio made up of Roxane Benassaya (vocals), Christof Méoni (bass, synthesizers, programming) and Emmanuel d’Auzon (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). Their music blends cold wave, post-punk and ethereal electronics in a cinematic, emotionally charged atmosphere. After a ten-year pause, the band returns in 2025, driven by the same creative fire as in their early days.

Formed in 2009 from the ashes of Neptüne — created by Roxane, Christof and Greguy — Contre Jour made their debut with One Night at the Station, exploring a colder, more electronic direction. At the time, Roxane handled both vocals and guitar. Emmanuel joined the band in 2010 to carry their sound on stage with a more focused, technical approach to the guitar, allowing Roxane to devote herself fully to singing. This evolution refined the band's textured sound, inspired by 1980s post-punk and new wave as well as 1990s shoegaze.

In 2012, Greguy stepped away from the project while remaining a close friend and occasional collaborator. Their second album, Passion and Fall, and the Abîme EP broadened their sonic palette with shoegaze layers and trip-hop atmospheres. A black-and-white cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Into the Light,” a tribute to John McGeoch, sparked unexpected interest. Quietly embraced by underground scenes in Europe and Latin America, Contre Jour returns — more mature, sharper, and still driven by stories yet to be told.