Dutch band Lewsberg’s new album ‘Out And About’ is a collaborative piece, highlighting all the different member’s styles and talents. It has a mix of dark synths, light-hearted indie songs, and relaxed rock. The band’s fourth album kicks off with ‘Angle Of Reflection’ a slow, pensive synth track with spoken vocals and a chorus singing: “You play with everyone, and I pretend to play along…” The opening track contrasts many other songs off the album, adding to the collage of different sounds. Especially as it is followed by ‘Without A Doubt’ an upbeat indie song comparable to the likes of Mouldy Peaches or The Velvet Underground. The same rough imperfect indie sound is continued throughout songs such as ‘An Ear To The Chest’, ‘Out For Milk’ and ‘A Different View’, where the lyrics were written through a text exchange between Arie and Marrit.
The sound of ‘Out And About’ is further expanded by Arie’s violin on ‘Going Places’ and ‘Canines’. The violin on Canines flips between a loose singing melody and a more stressed fast fast-paced violin. The contrasts continue with a slow sweet lullaby ‘The Joy Of Spring’. Overall, the collaborative soundscape of Lewsberg creates a fun and imperfect sound, an album focused on the enjoyment of playing together rather than complicated themes or flashy instrumentation. The last tracks on the album show this perfectly, with ‘There’s A Poet In The Bushes’ and ‘Debbie’, both have a slow, repeating guitar riff with spoken vocals and light backing vocals, really drawing in on the minimalist similarities between Lewsberg and The Velvet Underground. ‘Out And About’ shows that the more simple or rough a song is, the more honest it is – and the easier it is to connect to.
Focussing on sharing and mixing the writing of all band members – Shalita Dietrich (vocals, bass guitar), Micheal Klein (guitar), Arie van Vliet (vocals, guitar, violin) and Marrit Meinema (drums, vocals) – this is both eclectic, and distinctly fully formed. An infectious offering, ‘Out And About’ shines a light on the band’s unified creativity.
8/10
Words: Amelie Grice
