Coffret de Bijoux | Alice Simard Interview
Last updated: May 6, 2026
About Coffret de Bijoux
Coffret de Bijoux is a solo atmospheric black metal project by Alice Simard from Québec City. Blending elements of black metal, electronic music, and alternative, the music first came to my attention through her album “wen jalè jalè gunala”. It was the passage beginning at 2:49 in “ejaa duma venala’t utun, utun ada quae’rbina” that first drew me in:
One thing you’ll notice right away in Alice’s music is the lo-fi mix, which creates a dense layer of fuzz that contrasts with the harsh black metal vocals and intense drumming. Combined with electronic samples, the result is a distinctive and unusual form of black metal.
The way these elements are woven together into a cohesive sound makes for something truly remarkable. Of course, you can’t talk about coffret de bijoux without also mentioning its emotional weight and sense of space, which often feels almost otherworldly.
While exploring further, I came across an even more striking moment: the passage beginning around 5:32 in the opening track of “nendindalnen”. At this point, it became clear that coffret de bijoux was something different, and it pushed me to delve deeper into her work:
While I had sampled many of her previous releases, it was the recent split with Aftokonia that next caught my attention. Once again, it was the unique blend of atmospheric aggression and emotive synths. The passage beginning around the six-minute mark of the opening track “ântem” is pure magic:
In fact, I was so moved by this “ântem” section that I reached out to request an interview, which she kindly agreed to. I wanted to learn more about her vision and what drives her creative approach to black metal.
The coffret de bijoux discography includes 19 albums, and there is no single defining style. There is often a subtle melancholy in coffret de bijoux’s music, but it rarely feels dark or oppressive.
The debut LP is particularly lo-fi and immersive, with powerful and hypnotic synths woven into a harsher post-black metal framework. The second track has a dreamlike melody which resonated on the first listen:
The album “J’aeae cràiserais j’squa je n’aïe pluxe d’e vie,.,., perssonage n’ex sembleple s’enne préonccuxperale” (many of her releases feature long, cryptic titles that feel like messages waiting to be decoded) at times recalled Skagos’s debut Ást through its raw production. The album, “D’ü’nexse pënnsê’es vïscëaeràyle j’innståüaerrs lëyyns hôt’ësse,.,.,.,” is a fascinating blend of ambient black metal and fantasy-like synth textures, creating a vivid, dreamlike atmosphere. The mood in coffret de bijoux is particularly strong here. Another track I really like is “blue shimmer” from the album “i look up, intertwined”.
There’s so much variety across albums and genres that you’re never quite sure what you’ll get, with songs unfolding through unexpected shifts and textures. In addition to coffret de bijoux, Alice is also involved in numerous other solo projects including Turpitude, Luminesce, and Codex Crudelitas. The melodies in “Entourée de mon lit de fleurs” in the Mordoré album by Turpitude are mesmerizing.
It’s hard to categorize coffret de bijoux since her work is so diverse. What I will say is this: coffret de bijoux stands out, and I’ll be spending much more time with her music in the months and years to come.
Alice Simard Interview
April 25, 2026
Hi Alice, thanks for taking the time to do this. What does the music of coffret de bijoux mean to you personally?
Lots of things, my experiences with sapphic love, colors and dreams and different tales that come to my mind when trying to navigate living.
Which artists or bands have influenced coffret de bijoux, or your music more generally?
There is too many to name, I never know how to answer this question… some names specifically for Coffret de Bijoux that come to mind fast: Paramore, Krallice, Ichiko Aoba, Jane Remover, Yellow Eyes, Strawberry Hospital, Bekëth Nexëhmü and many, many, many others.
What drives you to create music, especially across so many different projects?
Music is what drives me to create music, I have so many projects because I want to explore many different feelings and atmospheres.
You’ve included lyrics for some coffret de bijoux tracks but not others, and many of your titles use a coded language. What draws you to this approach?
Coffret de bijoux lyrics are incredibly personal and raw for me, so sometimes I decide to share and sometimes not. For the language (named Ejauws), I’ve always had profound difficulty expressing exactly what I feel in words of a language I know, I wanted to create a conlang that has many colors and textures that encapsulate at least a fraction of the things I want to say.
Looking into your other projects, I was struck by the sheer volume of black and death metal releases. Is there one project that feels especially meaningful to you, musically or personally?
They are all very meaningful to me, they would not exist otherwise. My answer on this changes everyday but Filesharemaiden is very close to my heart, for the world I created around it, the metaphors about my life and the compositions I poured so much hatred and sadness and pain into.
Your guitar work in Luminesce is highly technical. How long have you been playing, and do you follow any kind of practice routine?
I’ve been playing guitar since 11-12 years old, I used to have a “practice routine”, yes. But I don’t even know if it was any good to straight up get better at the instrument, I just kinda did what felt the best and what I wanted to do. Every day, I would play Epitaph by Necrophagist front to back with all solos, and after Planetary Duality by The Faceless. After that I would learn a new song. I haven’t done that for years though, the time I used for this has all been consumed by composition, sometimes I play for fun or learn songs I like but very rarely.
Your Codex Crudelitas Bandcamp page states, “The only thing worth living for is art.” Could you expand on this idea?
I think it’s pretty self explanatory. Religion is disgusting, money is unfulfilling, influence is finite, love is good but loses meaning without expression, art is everything.
Is there anything coming up in your different projects that you’re looking forward to?
I’m always looking forward to my next release. I hope to meet helpful musicians and maybe arrange my songs for live shows.