En concert le 21 octobre au Trianon en première partie d'Editors

En concert le 11 février 2014 au Trianon 

“We’re less restless than before. Our souls have calmed down”.
Coming from Balthazar’s Jinte Deprez, that’s quite a statement.
Aren’t Balthazar the groovy Belgian indie band whose debut album Applause sported  “jittery postpunk-ish pop songs”? With that aforementioned cool hipster tag they left a mark in the European indie milieu, back in 2010.
But that was then and this is now. Skins were shed, heads have turned, souls were cleansed.

Everyone has a shadowy side, right? Well, Jinte and his partner in songwriting Maarten Devoldere are pretty sure they’ve escaped theirs. At least for a while. “Partying hard, having a couple too many, painting the town red . It doesn’t pay off in the end”, Jinte says.
As the chorus of ‘Joker’s Son’, one of the standout tracks on Balthazar’s second album Rats, goes: “A joker’s son / My coat’s somewhere around town / I never won but I rest assured that I can endure / the spinning.”
So now’s the time for our five friends to test their musical limits and flex their lyrical muscles.
The self-produced Rats conjures up the essence of Balthazar. Its heartwrenching melodies tell tales of unspoiled love and foolish desire. At its core are the band’s trademark vocal harmonies, drenched in quirky romantic textures. Balthazar sway and swoon, from melancholic bossa grooves to euphoric waltzes. You’ll hear a stunning, sexy rhythm section Serge Gainsbourg would approve of and the kind of lush arrangements that whisper Scott Walker’s name.
Jinte and Maarten don’t shy away from their admiration for the classic songwriters. “That’s the kind of poetry we really enjoy”. Result? Chills, goosebumps and sweet shivers.
L.A.-based  Noah Georgeson (The Strokes, Devendra Banhart) has done an excellent job mixing this collection of spine-tingling songs.
“You need to go through quite a lot of debauchery before you realize  happiness is just around the corner, in the arms of the girl you love”, Jinte says, heart on sleeve.
Can it be all so simple? Why, that’s exactly what Balthazar try to find out on Rats.
Enjoy the spinning.

RATS

1. Oldest Of Sisters
2. Sinking Ship
3. Later
4. Joker's Son
5. The Man Who Owns The Place
6. Lion’s Mouth (Daniel)
7. Do Not Claim Them Anymore
8. Listen Up
9. Any Suggestion
10. Sides
Upcoming Shows :
16th August    St. Polten, Austria - Frequency Festival
18th August    Hassel, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival
8th Sept    Ter Schelling, Holland – Into The Great Wide Open
27th Nov    Paris, France – La Cigale