There’s a point on Balthazar’s second record ‘Rats’ during ‘Sinking Ship’ where the music takes a backseat, where the rhythm fades away and a choir of lonely boys sing; “We’ll get to know your sad side again” over and over again – as if someone’s dumped them in a freezing cold forest with no direction home. It’s a moment of gut-wrenching melancholy that not only plucks the heartstrings, but destroys them. This is Balthazar going all the way, with no boundaries. “It’s become quite a romantic record”, Jinte Deprez says “You have to be in that special kind of mood”. Maarten Devoldere, Jinte’s songwriting partner in crime, nods and whispers reassuring: “Just take your time with it. It’s an album to soundtrack your everyday pleasures and your everyday pains.” Maarten and Jinte go way back. They used to be teenage buskers, competing with each other, until they realized that sometimes one and one make three. Their newfound alliance led them into a vortex of musical adventures. They studied music production together and discovered the beauty and the power of string and brass arrangements. In their quest for the perfect pop song, the duo founded Balthazar, a mean groove machine that released a fine debut album in 2010, chock-full of catchy, wiry indie pop. The band earned their stripes while touring Europe, as a support for dEUS. Now there’s ‘Rats’, a record that emphasizes Balthazar’s love for classic pop productions. “Most of contemporary pop productions sound too ‘noughties’”, Maarten shrugs; “There’s no depth. We’ve tried a different approach”.
Maarten and Jinte cherish their love for masterful songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and Serge Gainsbourg. Lets not forget, U.S. mixer Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, The Strokes, Devendra Banhart) was behind the desk, keeping Balthazar’s sound on a tight leash. Truth is, the boys can’t wait to play these new songs in front of an audience, together with the other Balthazar members: Patricia Vanneste, Simon Casier and Christophe Claeys.
“Every night we’ll play our best show ever. Just watch us.”
No worries. They’ll take us out of that dark, cold forest. A little less weary than before.
On the 6th of October they were in Prague as a support for Editors, now they are giving their own concert on the 8th of February in the LMB.
Tickets are available for 200,- CZK at Eventim, Ticketpro, Ticketstream, Ticketportal, at www.musicbar.cz and at the cash desk of the LMB. At the door: 250,-CZK.
