Fresh to the scene with a hot summer single, French-American rockers Le Douze (translated as “twelve” in English) formed out of a need for creativity and collaboration during their quarantine in France. The number symbolizes a rebirth to the group, the beginning of a new cycle. Their first single “Fruits of My Life” is out August 17th and is a stand-out track on their debut album, a reggae jam in the vein of The Police.

Drummer David Boutherre doubles as lead vocalist, while keyboardist Frédéric Scamps and guitarist/producer Maxime Lebidois fill out the rich bed of chill sonic lushness that transports listeners to the tropics. The band started with Maxime reaching out to the others with instrumental tracks and they quickly got to work. “Quarantine created a special place, out of time,” Maxime says. “It gave me a total freedom to express something through music – and through music, create a special connection with David & Fred.”

As they developed lyrics, the track quickly took on special meaning to them. “‘Fruits of My Life’ is the story of someone who’s been away from home for a very, very long time,” David says, “someone who comes back to their homeland to take care of the ones they love the most and to be taken care of by them as well.”

The three spent a lot of time working and recording on the west coast of France, which reflects in the mood of the track as well as the lyrics. “We would sing and then go out to the water, the apartment was just in front of the beach and the sea,” Frédéric says. “We thought about swimming with the dolphins, being back from Babylon after touring for a long time, like Roman soldiers 2000 years ago. We just wanted to stay here, to be with wine and family.” The trio also put together a beautiful live performance video. The full album will be released this fall.