Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul reunite for ancestry-focused collab album

The new record, the follow up to Topical Dancer, focuses on parenthood, family history, and colonial legacy and continues in the electronic pop x dance-punk framework of their earlier work. The new single “From Healer to Dealer” is a conversation between “Grace” and “Ruben”, two wellness-obsessed characters the duo employ to satirise wellness culture waffle.

Mainland Madinina takes its title from Pupul’s family links to mainland China and Hong Kong, and from Madinina, the name of Adigéry's mother's cocktail bar in Ghent. The record grew out of conversations between the two friends as their lives changed together. Both became parents following Topical Dancer, and Adigéry lost her father to Alzheimer’s disease. Pupul’s solo album Letter to Yu drew on journeys to his late mother’s homeland of Hong Kong. Those experiences led them to explore parallels between Pupul’s grandparents’ Chinese restaurant in Aalst and Adigéry’s mother’s bar.

Written in Ghent and Martinique, the album was co-produced by Soulwax. Adigéry said: “They’re people who can really inspire us when we get stuck – they invite us to go deeper, to really grasp the intention behind the song.” Pupul added: “They’re still the musical chiropractors – they really know where to push when stuck.”

Adigéry and Pupul will tour the UK, EU, and USA after the release, with 22 dates including Glasgow, Manchester, London, and Bristol. Tickets go on sale on 13 November.

Mainland Madinina tracklist

“RESTLESS”
“GOOGOO GAGA”
“STEPMOTHER”
“MANA”
“FROM HEALER TO DEALER”
“SAINT-LUCIA”
“PLEASER TO MEET YOU”
“LOSING MY SHIT”
“DéLIREZ-VOUS?”
“DAD OR ALIVE”
“RITE OF PASSAGE”
“I’M LOST”