7 years after their debut album ‘Irony & Smiles’ that we completely missed and then an EP called ‘Declines Are Long Gone’, and an EP that followed suit, French post-rock/alternative/post-hardcore duo First Draft finally landed in our pages.
Better late than never.
With ‘An Instant Before the Promise of Dawn’ released on CD/LP/Digital through LyloProd / Vlad (Graceful, Mantra…), the band delivers an arresting sonic experience where emotion, urgency, and resilience converge. Led by drummer-vocalist Marine Arnoult and bassist Clément Douam, the project transcends the limits of a two-piece — merging atmospheric post-rock layers with post-hardcore intensity and poetic introspection.
Each track captures that suspended moment — the instant before hope breaks through darkness. Drawing from personal and collective struggles, the album transforms paralysis and anger into a force of unity and renewal. From fragile harmonies to eruptive crescendos, First Draft crafts a powerful journey echoing the likes of A.A Williams, Astreyane, Caspian, Brutus or Emma Ruth Rundle.
Their intricate soundscapes, sculpted by Douam’s melodic bass architectures and elevated by Arnoult’s magnetic vocals and drumming, channel both technical mastery and raw authenticity. Already acclaimed for their explosive live shows the duo turns emotion into momentum, finding light amid ruin.
‘An Instant Before the Promise of Dawn’ is both a cry and a promise — a call to reconnect, to resist despair, and to believe that transformation is still possible.
