French industrial/goth/shoegaze/post-rock duo -ii- unleash new single and music video »The Birth Of Venus«

Nancy, France based industrial/goth/shoegaze/post-rock duo -ii- has unleashed a music video for the first single »The Birth Of Venus« taken from their sophomore album, »Apostles Of The Flesh«, set to release independently on October 3rd, 2025.

»The Birth Of Venus« is available now on all major streaming platforms!

Tracklist :
01. The Birth Of Venus
02. Digging For Blood
03. Lotis
04. Sisyphus In Red
05. The Fountain Of Helicon
06. Pearls Beneath The Ember
07. L’Onde et l’Abysse
08. Where The Diamond Are Hurl
09. Sisters Of The Coven
10. Under The Skin
11. When Beauty Is A Crime
12. Virginia’s Mirror

Courtesy of Clément Duboscq // Vous Connaissez ? PR:

-ii- (pronounced “Two Eyes”), a pair of eyes hanging in the void like guardians gazing upon our tortured, wounded souls, on the verge of forgetting ourselves in the series of sonic ceremonies contained in »Apostles Of The Flesh«. A second album that not only reinforces the singularity of this duo from Nancy, active since 2018. Singer Hélène Ruzic and multi-instrumentalist and producer Benjamin Racine (a pair you may have already seen in Creole riot grunge mode under the name Fournaise or behind noise rap crew Daski) completely redefine the contours of industrial music. A tour de force conducted with art and style, by disfavoring electronics a little more in favor of organic music, and by adopting a solid full band formula. Maxime Keller (Dvne, ex-Headbussa, ex-Tess, ex-Smash Hit Combo), and David l’Huillier (manager of the Senones’ Museum Of Drums, you couldn’t make it up!) join the ranks for a massive and ambitious album of over an hour. Where noise, goth, post rock, darkwave and trip hop come together to form a unified whole.

Following »Extinction«, »Apostles Of The Flesh« surprises from the first listen. »The Birth Of Venus« announces a more direct intention, and a clearly pronounced emphasis on 100% live drums, with an irresistible tribal spirit, sometimes swaying. David hits the drums vigorously, under the artistic direction of Benjamin. Determined that the band would no longer be a slave to its backing tracks, the latter sprinkles the whole thing with unusual instruments like kayamb, xaphoon or bouzouki. Some rhythms are even directly borrowed from maloya, traditional music from Reunion Island where Hélène grew up. The contrast is even stronger when the ethereal textures, between shadow and light, that -ii- sign impose themselves. Those marking »Sisyphus In Red«, »Digging For Blood«, »The Fountain Of Helicon« or the occult hymn »Sisters Of The Coven«. From the guitar spring forth melodies that are both high-pitched and piercing, in a style that tirelessly recalls HEALTH, but the rebellious and catchy riffs are not left out. Because -ii- knows how to succumb to tumult and rage, as evidenced by the total smackdown “Lotis«, or a little later »Where The Diamonds Are Hurled«.

While we can guess that a certain intensity runs through the art of -ii-, it is also necessary to highlight certain passages dominated by pure beauty. They’re even exacerbated when listening to »Pearls Beneath The Embers«, »Virginia’s Mirror« or the French spoken word interlude »L’Onde et l’Abysse«, with great reinforcements of piano and string arrangements. A delicacy sublimated by Hélène’s crystal voice, whose performance, as nuanced as it is cathartic, completes the alignment of qualities that the project carries. To summarize this new era, -ii- gains greatly in solemnity.

Benjamin gives us his vision of the significant evolution of this new album:
“An image struck me when we were on vacation in Munich last year. When I distinguish between the two albums, I see the first one as a Gothic cathedral, with right angles, very dark stones, sharp edges. Something massive, where the marble is cold and hurts the feet. But this new album looks more like a Baroque church like the Asamkirche in the center of Munich. There are friezes, moldings, gilding, bas-reliefs everywhere. It’s fucking beautiful and magnificent. The dark side is there, as is a lot of light. All the details and all the gilding reflect something less massive and angular than the gothic style. It’s much more refined, and we approached the album a bit in that way.”

Photos by Benjamin Racine

To go even further, anyone who exposes themselves to it cannot ignore that -ii- offers an authentic vision of sensuality made into music. »Apostles Of The Flesh«, although eminently more percussive than »Extinction«, retains the power to provoke purely para-musical sensations… From there to talking about an aphrodisiac effect, there is only one step! But others could just as easily feel submerged by icy waters, as if curled up in their inner world.

Another facet seems to be an integral part of the band’s process, as Hélène evokes:
“Our goal is to provoke a personal ritual, to spark a dialogue between ourselves. During shows, we noticed that some people in the audience were focused on us, watching us, while others had their eyes closed. We imagined them in the middle of a journey in their heads and bodies. There is no real transition thread in this set, like what you can hear in a pure electro mix. I recently participated in my first real techno night. I had the impression of staying 5 minutes in front of the stage when it had been 1 hour and 30 minutes already. Time flies, we feel so good and we are hypnotized by the rhythm and the light show. This is what makes you go very far, and what we try to reproduce in our own way.”

»Apostles Of The Flesh« reveals itself as an invitation to live a spiritual experience. One through which -ii- physically engages the bodies, both their own on stage and those of their audience, as this music grips them and keeps them in a trance. This bodily theme is all the more at the heart of the work, and in many ways. Benjamin cites the inspiration of Nietzsche’s philosophy of the body as the basis of thought, a subject he had dealt with during his studies.

Hélène tells us more about the meaning of this oh-so-evocative title:
“This was especially true with »Extinction«, but we have a certain attraction to the apostles and other religious icons. Everything related to spirituality inspires us. The flesh, for its part, is linked to the body, a subject very dear to us. Even though we’ve evolved somewhat socially, we want to put the body at the center of our reflections. The issue of the flesh is traditionally denied, even judged pejoratively, especially in the West. It’s important to be able to reclaim one’s body, to take care of it. The album speaks a lot about my experiences with my own body, what happened to it, and what I did with it.”

With a die-hardism that is definitely their own, the duo follows a sex-positive approach, rare enough in the adventurous scene to be highlighted. -ii- offers a set dedicated to erotic music, which evokes the subject and… that makes you want to make love! After recently performing at an erotic arts festival, the door is not closed to doing the same at BDSM parties or libertine clubs. As Benjamin states, the message is clear: “Pay attention to your body, take care of it, give yourself the right to explore your sexuality in a healthy and informed way… And if our music can help you in this journey then it will be the greatest compliment!”

As mentioned above, »Apostles Of The Flesh« is a big piece. A 65-minute sonic journey, born from a desire for a body of work without any predefined ideas on the part of its creators. Hélène and Benjamin compose with a commitment to seeing each song through to the end, even if it means spending years on it. For -ii-, it’s all about letting the music live, as well as its conceptual and artistic underpinnings, and without falling into the trap of repetition. Hence its 12 tracks, the longest of which exceeds 8 minutes! Added to this is a deliberate relationship with images, motivated by a synaesthetic approach.

Benjamin explains:
“We write our songs very quickly; we can make films out of them. There’s a real connection between music and the pictorial world that persists, especially since we consider ourselves geeks of pictorial and modern art. In the video for “Digging For Blood,” there’s a reference that maybe not so many people will get, but we always try to evoke images with our music. We would like the listener to be able to immerse themselves in our music like they dive into a film, somewhere between the esotericism of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, the pictorial aesthetics of Robert Eggers’ The Witch, and the abstract modernism of Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon.”

Despite its excessively extended format, »Apostles Of The Flesh« remains captivating from start to finish. In the category of albums capable of making a mark through their richness, extravagance, and igniting energy, this sophomore LP from -ii- stands out. And all that’s left is our eyes to be moved by it.

Produced, recorded and mixed by Benjamin Racine at Mystic Cave Productions.
Drums recorded at L’Autre Oreille Music Studio by Fabien Pilard and Julien Rosenberger.
Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Studio.
Artwork & photos by Hélène Ruzic and Benjamin Racine.

Line-up:
Hélène Ruzic – vocals/lyrics
Benjamin Racine – guitars, basses, synths, percussions, kayamb, xaphoon, bouzouki, piano
Maxime Keller – basses, synths, prepared piano
David l’Huillier – drums, percussions

FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, HEALTH, Nine Inch Nails, THOT, Björk, Karin Park, Zola Jesus, Killing Joke, Julie Christmas, GGGOLDDD…

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well