Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – “From Healer to Dealer (Edit)”

I love the idea of two people becoming so obsessed with healing themselves that they end up weaponizing everything they've learned in therapy. It's a very contemporary form of insanity. Everyone has boundaries, everyone has done the work, everyone can identify a narcissist, and nobody can get through a conversation without diagnosing the other person. Enter Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, whose new single “From Healer to Dealer” takes the entire wellness industry by the shoulders and gives it a vigorous shake. I've encountered enough unsolicited life coaching on Instagram to appreciate the intervention. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if my algorithm started charging by the hour.

The Belgian duo have built a wonderfully ridiculous premise around Grace and Ruben, two self-absorbed wellness enthusiasts who have absorbed so much therapeutic vocabulary that ordinary conversation has become practically impossible. They trade enlightened observations, congratulate themselves on their personal growth, and eventually turn on each other over who's more toxic. It's the natural conclusion of a culture where everyone is constantly working on themselves and somehow getting worse at dealing with other people. The full version runs a remarkable eight minutes and twenty-two seconds, presumably because two people this committed to explaining their boundaries were never going to keep things brief. I'm reviewing the 3:31 edit, which is probably healthier for everyone involved.

And what a pleasure the music is. A rubbery bassline, tightly wound house rhythms, and a mischievous streak of 1980s funk make the whole affair feel like a dance floor that's been accidentally booked for a group therapy session. The production has that distinctive Soulwax precision, with every little rhythmic detail contributing to the momentum. There's a sly intelligence to the arrangement, too. The music is so enjoyable that you can happily dance through the satire without immediately realizing you're part of the demographic being investigated. I suspect at least three people in the room have a podcast about emotional availability.

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“From Healer to Dealer” previews Mainland Madinina, arriving February 5, 2027, via DEEWEE and Because Music. It's the duo's first collaborative album since 2022's Topical Dancer, with Soulwax returning as co-producers. The new record explores parenthood, family history, grief, and identity, making this particular detour into the absurdities of self-improvement a welcome reminder of their talent for finding comedy in contemporary behavior. The accompanying video, directed by Lennert Madou, features dancers Emmanuelle Mfulu and Mathias Goethals in a wonderfully physical extension of the song's nervous energy. You can watch it below, but I'd recommend stretching first.

The genius of “From Healer to Dealer” is how accurately it captures the moment self-awareness becomes self-obsession. Grace and Ruben have all the vocabulary, all the diagnoses, and a complete inability to recognize their own ridiculousness. Meanwhile, Adigéry and Pupul have made an excellent dance record out of the whole mess. I'd recommend it to everyone currently on a healing journey, but I'm concerned they'd interpret that as a personal attack. Better to put it on at a party and let the bassline handle the confrontation.