Nation of Language

Nation of Language blends synth-pop, post-punk and a new romantic streak into songs that are at once spectral and deeply human. On June 19, 2026, at Le Transbordeur in Villeurbanne, the trio will be presenting material from their fourth album, Dance Called Memory. Written by Ian Richard Devaney—often alone with a guitar while making his way through a gloomy period—the record addresses grief, friendships that drift apart and the passage of time. In the studio, Nick Millhiser’s production widens the group’s palette while preserving a very human warmth at the heart of synthetic textures, in an approach that echoes Brian Eno’s methods.

On stage, Nation of Language stretches these tracks into hypnotic basslines, dry drum machines and hazy synths, allowing Devaney’s voice to carry the emotion to the ensemble. Between danceable pulses and suspended melancholy, the set spotlights the project’s stripped-back songwriting and its taste for direct melodies, without losing the intimate imprint that runs through the album.