Montreal garage-pop-punk duo DVTR is back with a new single, "COULEUR PEAU (Your Next Token Asian Friend)," after two years of international touring in support of their last EP, BONJOUR (BIS).
“Couleur peau,” which loosely translates to “skin color” or “shade,” sets the tone for the track’s message.
Frontwoman and vocalist Demi Lune explains the personal story behind it: “As a South Asian kid in class in Canada, when our teachers told us to take out our ‘skin colour’ crayolas, I didn’t know what to do. That pinky-beige shade sure wasn’t anything like me. So here’s to the Crayola folks who took their sweet time realizing skin comes in more than one tone—and here’s to me being your next token Asian friend in this overly sensitive era.”
From the jump, the track sets its tone with electric guitar driving the rhythm and attitude.
Lune’s vocals cut through like a siren—sharp, commanding, and full of edge—while the guitar flutters around almost independently. The vocals shift from quick and punchy to full-on scream-singing by the 1:53 mark, creating a bit of sonic chaos that feels intentionally unhinged.
The lyric “I can be your next token Asian friend” repeats throughout the chorus, loudly calling out the lack of genuine representation and the performative nature of diversity in social and professional spaces.
The video reinforces the song’s message with biting satire. Lune sits center-frame in her own Mukbang, eating everything from noodles to sautéed beef, never breaking eye contact with the camera—confronting the viewer with both presence and purpose.
Altogether, the single is a furious release—a sonic and visual strike against erasure, tokenism, and the alienation of being seen but not truly recognized.
Both the track and its visuals stand as DVTR’s fearless response to the experiences they’ve lived through. It’s rare and refreshing to see a band so honest, so loud, and so entirely themselves.
Photo Credit: Ariana Molly
