Voxtrot Release New Single 'Esprit de Cœur'

Acclaimed Texas-based indie-pop/rock band Voxtrot have shared their latest single and video "Esprit de Cœur," marking the fourth release in a series of recent singles from the band. Following the success of "Another Fire," "New World Romance," and "My Peace," "Esprit de Cœur" continues to showcase Voxtrot's signature blend of energy and classic hooks, reimagined for a new era. The song is available now on all digital platforms for any playlist shares and the video directed by Ed Dougherty and filmed by Taylor Washington can be viewed on the band’s YouTube page. 

On the video, the band’s Ramesh Srivastava says, “In a rather meta way, my character struggles to come up with a concept for the video itself, writing himself into a variety of hero scenarios that reference well-known movies or genres (The Conversation, Wings of Desire, film noir, etc). After wrestling with this writer’s block for some time, he is finally visited by a trio of celestial angels, who help him to get out of his head and into his body, thus making the journey from the head to the heart, where creativity dwells.

Working with director Ed Dougherty, cinematographer Taylor Washington and their fabulous crew was a wonderful experience for us — ’twas thrilling to be part of such a professional production and to inhabit these different characters and worlds. All scenes were filmed in Austin and Lockhart, Texas."

Prior to the single’s release, Voxtrot turned to fans to share their interpretion "Esprit de Cœur" before even hearing the song. The band released the sheet music, including guitar chords, lyrics, and vocal melodies, as well as a MIDI file of the vocal melody, encouraging fans to create and submit their own versions of the song. Notable musicians including The Natvral (Kip Berman of Pains Of Being Pure At Heart) and Annie Hart (Au Revoir Simone) shared their take on Esprit de Cœur.” All videos are featured in a dedicated playlist on the band’s YouTube Page.

Regarding the inspiration behind "Esprit de Cœur," Srivastava shares, "It was initially inspired by a documentary on Charlie Chaplin, which detailed his life in and out of the spotlight. The song explores the ephemeral nature(s) of fame and youth, and the inevitable corollary soul-searching that comes with a career in entertainment.”

"Throughout 'Esprit' I dip between my post-Voxtrot years in Los Angeles (during which I desperately longed to be 'rediscovered'), imaginary conversations with Beat Generation authors (imploring them to understand that separating commerce from art is not as simple as it used to be), and Chaplin’s famous speech in The Great Dictator, which signaled the end of his comedic reign but is considered his most poignant cinematic moment." 

He adds, "Like many artists and entertainers, I have a love/hate relationship with fame; while it is undeniably enjoyable to bask in favorable attention, any attachment to a celebrity identity results in equal anguish when that attention drifts away. On one hand, fame is naturally correlated with success in popular music, and on the other it is the very thing that can most easily distract us from our artistic gifts, which brought success in the first place. In the pursuit of our life’s work, it is important to remember that, beyond achievement, beyond recognition, there is an intrinsic worth to our being, a love that comes from within and needs no external validation.”

Voxtrot was embraced far and wide in the early aughts blog era, initially with a pair of EPs: Raised By Wolves and Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, self-released on the band’s own Cult Hero Records. As expeditiously as the band was built up, they were pulled apart, calling it quits in 2010 shortly after their Playlouder/Beggars debut LP.   

While the members went on with their individual lives, Voxtrot’s legacy grew. A new legion of fans discovered their music posthumously, many too young to have known about them while they were originally active.

And then, a new chapter… 

 “I had a dream where we were onstage and it was really positive,” remembers frontman Ramesh Srivastava in 2022. “There was such a strong and palpable feeling of love in my heart that when I woke up, it was still with me. I switched on my phone and started looking at things tagged with “Voxtrot” on social media – teenagers covering our songs, people with Voxtrot tattoos – and just went down this internet rabbit hole that made me realize how much love there still is for the band. For the first time since we broke up, it seemed very, very obvious that we should do this.”

With that, Voxtrot reunited, releasing two archival vinyl compilations (Early Music - a collection of their first two EPs - and Cut From The Stone: Rarities & B-Sides) in conjunction with a largely sold-out US tour.

At the beginning of 2023, all five original members (Srivastava, Jason Chronis, Matt Simon, Mitch Calvert and Jared Van Fleet) convened in the little town of Lockhart, Texas to break ground on new material and see if the spark was still there. And it was.

Returning to their DIY roots, the band self-recorded and produced a slew of new material, including singles “Another Fire”, “New World Romance” and “My Peace”,  bringing Erik Wofford (from their early EPs) onboard to mix. 

Photo credit: Daniel Everett Patrick & Angie Bandari