USI ES is the musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes.
Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess. Her debut album SideQuest lands next Friday.
Wolf Vanwymeersch is a seasoned musician who released the first LP, A Mass In the Water by his new band Wholes last November.
Press info: “One Way the Sea” isn’t a sugary ballad, but rather the story of a couple
of fortune seekers who take their chances at sea. Musically, the duet navigates the same waters as the collaborative work of PJ Harvey and Mark Lanegan, but is powered by raw electronics.”
TUTV: Two things popped up in my head instantly. Firstly, David Lynch‘s 2001 enigmatic movie Mulholland Drive and secondly, Nick Cave and his 1996 album Murder Ballads, featuring his Where The Wild Roses Grow duet with Kylie Minogue.
Those that make sense? Does it have too? As I said, these were my first thoughts
after hearing this collaboration for the first time. So I guess it makes sense to me.
Usi Es and Wolf‘s duet is a slow-mo, hush-hush wandering, a subtly orchestrated dream
in motion, an alluring song of a utopian future, a tempting adventure. Their voices fit romantically well. Both intriguing and heartening, creating an illusory ambiance.
The LP is an intense and raw reflection of grief, trauma, and the desire for healing.
‘A Mass In The Water’ roughly describes the last day of Wolf Vanwymeersch‘s father,
who took his own life during a psychotic episode. The album balances between
mockery, anger, powerlessness, grief, understanding, compassion, and love.
TUTV: It’s a both scary and flabbergasting opus that takes a lot of courage to make and share with the world. The album’s ominous dynamics, distorted vocals, and riff-roasting razzmatazz resonate like if you are listening to the soundtrack of a modern-day horror movie.
Vanwymeersch and Wholes created their own Dante’s Inferno.
Bloodcurdling, pitch-black, and bone-chilling. Helter-skelter.
TUTV: Just one spin and I knew this LP was a winner. Ace tune, after ace tune, after
ace tune. Guitar pop at its most move ‘n groove exciting. In the middle, vocalist and
guitarist Maisie Everett draws all attention. Wonderful voice, striking performance.
And she’s backed by a well-oiled rockin’ engine. Trust me, these Aussies are going
places, very soon.
TUTV: Nele Janssen bewitches with her crystalline voice and enchanting piano play. Intimate, passional and heartfelt. From a Peuk scream to a solo whisper. A beautiful,
soul-stirring record that silences you from start to finish.
Eleven bittersweet reveries for the midnight hours. Stony Beds is an ideal companion
for cold winter nights, while relaxing with dimmed light on your couch and your favourite drink at hand.
TUTV: PP offer sinewy pieces of a high rock-punk-and-blues calibre,
all delivered with lots of gusto and bold brio. They fuzz and buzz
throughout the whole record. 40 minutes of barbed electricity.
Artist: MAVIS STAPLES Who: Legendary soul/blues/rock voice who, along with family, had a long and
greatly accomplished career under the name ofThe Staple Singers (1948-1994).
She’s 86 now, singing and swinging like a 36-year-old.
Produced by Brad Cook, the album spans seven decades of the American songbook,
a range nearly as vast as Mavis’ career, and includes reinventions of timeless songs
by Tom Waits, Sparklehorse, Gillian Welch, Frank Ocean and more.
Cook imagined an album in the tradition of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band‘s Will the Circle Be Unbroken, a group of artists coming together to celebrate community. In this case,
one centered on Mavis. Collaborators include Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, Derek Trucks, Katie Crutchfield, MJ Lenderman, and Justin Vernon.
WHOLES is the new musical project of Belgian, musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch who played with several bands over the years (pop, punk, rock, sludge metal) and released a pure singer-songwriter pearl with solo debut album The Early Years back in 2022.
Wholes are what remains after a soul has been detonated, what struck those around
it, what could no longer be contained says Wolf. They just released their debut LP, titled A MASS IN THE WATER. A pitch-black noizz and very personal record about Vanmymeersch losing his beloved father.
It’s a both scary and flabbergasting opus that takes a lot of courage to make and share with the world. Turn Up The Volume had a chat about it with Wolf, but first a sonic intro
with ‘Till We Don’t Meet Again‘, which was the album’s first single.
Can you remember a day you weren’t involved in music in the past few decades?
“Music isn’t a choice or a hobby for me; it’s a current that runs underneath everything. Even on the days I don’t play or write, it’s always there. A single word in a conversation can spark something, a sound in the street can open a door. There’s always something playing in the back of my mind.”
What does your new project/band’s name stand for?
“WHOLES refers to what remains after a soul explodes — the pieces, the shards,
the echoes. It’s about scars as much as openings: holes and the spaces where new
light can enter. It also references the Whole, The desire to feel connected with
everyone and everything.
The name is raw and hopeful at the same time,
and that’s exactly where our music lives.”
Suppose WHOLES was an animal.
Which one would it be and why?
“A crow. Something living between life and decay, clever, restless, unafraid of
darkness yet still strangely beautiful. A creature that’s always collecting things
and suddenly takes off when you least expect it.
Or a cockroach: it thrives in the cracks, survives the loudest blasts, and refuses
to disappear. It’s the noise that keeps living long after the room has gone quiet.
Or a cow? WHOLES is like a cow in a storm, usually placid, almost meditative,
but when it moves, the earth itself shakes. The music carries that same mix
of calm, menace, and unstoppable presence.”
The debut album A MASS IN THE WATER has just
been released. What’s the story behind the title?
“As crazy and morbid as it sounds, I found my dead father in a brook De Schorre. Hence Poids Lourd etc… It’s also a Mass in the sense of
a Requiem.
The album, much like the title, is about confronting grief, carrying it,
and letting it shape the sound without being consumed by it.”
My first impressions went from scary to flabbergasting.
Is the maker of this pitch-black record the freakiest
Mr. Hyde ever?
(laughs) “Maybe. WHOLES is definitely my Mr. Hyde,
the part that rages, distorts, and refuses to sit still.
But it feels less like Mr. Hyde taking over from Jekyll and more like both of them
finally being allowed to speak at the same time. The darkness in the record is real,
it’s simply the only way I could express certain emotions without filtering or
polishing them.”
It’s a very personal work dealing with the loss of your
beloved father. Now that the album is out, do you feel
some sort of healing?
“Making this album didn’t heal me, but it gave the grief a shape. It let me confront emotions I couldn’t otherwise articulate: the grief, the rage, the confusion. Sharing
it doesn’t erase the loss, but it transforms it: it becomes something external,
something that can move, resonate, and exist beyond me.
Playing this music live, in front of people, takes it
even further, it transcends the pain and the grief.”
The singles’ and LP’s artwork visualise your demons, I suppose.
Quite impressive. Can you tell us more about it?
“Yes, the artwork is very much an extension of the music and the emotions behind it. Maxime Rouquart, who created all the visuals, and I sat down and listened to the album together.
I shared some sketches and stylistic guidelines, for example, my interest in wood engraving and lithography, and then he did his thing, producing some truly beautiful
work. Niek Devos from PRINTBAaR handled the screen printing, giving the art a special finishing touch that really completes the whole experience.”
What’s your favorite track and why?
“My favorites change from day to day, today I’ll pick ‘Holes’ because it’s the only song that speaks directly TO my father. In lines like ‘to make you whole again / sleep well my friend / hope your nightmares end / from wayback when / and help the man to fill them holes again and make you whole again’.
As if I’m consoling him, singing a lullaby to soothe his pains.”
. Suppose A MASS IN THE WATER was the soundtrack
of a movie. Which one would it be and why?
“If A MASS IN THE WATER were the soundtrack of a movie, it would be something
raw, and unflinching, a film where grief, chaos and beauty coexist. Where time
slows down and emotions speak through textures and images.
In that sense, it could work perfectly with Sirât: a father searches for his missing
daughter in the desert and the world around them spirals into utter chaos. Our album’s
tension, intensity and immersive sound would mirror the film’s themes, the landscape’s
harshness and the emotional weight of the story.”
What can we expect from WHOLES in 2026?
“In 2026, you can expect more shows and a deeper dive into the sonic language we’re developing. We’re rehearsing new songs — not sure if we’ll release them this year — but we’re only at the beginning.”
Thank you, Wolf, for this revealing interview.
May the road rise with Wholes.
Band: WHOLES Who: A fresh, rowdy hit team led by Belgian, musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch,
who played with several bands (pop, rock, sludge metal) and released a pure singer-songwriter pearl with solo debut album The Early Years back in 2022. Wholes are what remains after a soul has been detonated, what struck those around it, what could no longer be contained.
Album:A MASS IN THE WATER.
Out this Friday, November 14th.
Pre-order/buy HERE. Your Xmas
will never be the same again.
Press info: “The full album is an intense and raw reflection of grief, trauma, and the desire
for healing. ‘A Mass In The Water’ roughly describes the last day of Wolf Vanwymeersch’s father, who took his own life during a psychotic episode. The album balances between mockery, anger, powerlessness, grief, understanding, compassion, and love.
All the emotions that accompany suicide are reflected in the songs. Dark, haunting lyrics intertwine with distorted voices, atonal fuzz guitars, and explosive outbursts. Experimental
riffs and hypnotic rhythms meet noise, punk, metal, and avant-garde. ‘A Mass In The Water’
is a powerful portrait of transience, emotional scars, and the human urge to face and
process pain, and find a fragile yet essential path to reconciliation.”
Band: WHOLES Who: A fresh, rowdy hit team led by Belgian, musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch,
who played with several bands (pop, rock, sludge metal) and released a pure singer-songwriter pearl with solo debut album The Early Years back in 2022. Wholes are what remains after a soul has been detonated, what struck those around it, what could no longer be contained.
Press info: ‘Till We Don’t Meet Again‘ is a clash of crooked guitars, relentless rhythms
and vocals that teeter between sadness and rebellion. A devastating mix of 80’s new beat rhythms, with the haunting intensity of Bowie, the fractured melodies of Bill Orcutt and the pop sensibility of QOTSA.
Single artwork
TUTV: Stoner rock dynamics and spiky garage blues disturbance work together to inject your eager ears with doom and gloom disturbance. Like dark clouds predicting a storm, like demons challenging each other, eye to eye, face to face.
Anxious guitars fuel this roasting ripper, the drum/bass tandem motorizes the flow and Wolf’s near-whispering, Josh Homme-esque vocals complete the ominous sonic picture. Wholes‘ fuzz and buzz sonority works instantly. All together now: we want more.
Belgian singer-songwriter WOLF VAN WYMEERSH released his excellent solo debut album The Early Years two years ago. A couple of singles followed and now with new track SECOND COMING he offers his first music of the year.
‘Second Coming’ is a hauntingly powerful anthem that delves deep into the shadows of the human psyche. “Sick like a whore, mad like a dog,” Wolf exclaims, capturing the despair of a world on the brink of the abyss. But amid the chaos, there is a glimmer of hope, a refusal to succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume us all.
TUTV: One of the most poignant compositions Vanwymeersch ever wrote. Capricious, bone-chilling, emotionally intense and vocally stirring. The evocative acoustic first part swells slowly but surely into a wall-of-sound eruption that emphasises the dark dynamics at play here. Second Coming is an erratic mind-twister, a striking stroke.
In the 5 of the morning
In the 6 of the moon
is where your 7 died
’cause the 7 lied
I was a morning child
and now I’m a night
howling at the moon
not a second too soon
’cause the beast has arrived
we all know his name
it’s getting very vile now
it’s getting really late
I’ve sick like a whore
mad like a dog
oh my love, I know that the time is short
oh my love, I know that your sun is bound to fade
The beast has arrived
His number we all share
In the code of the money
In the bankers’ mistakes
The beast has arrived now
we all know his name
It’s turned out very sick now
it’s getting really late
sick like a whore
mad like a dog
oh my love, I know that the time is short
sick like a whore
mad like a dog
oh my love, the rumours grow that your sun is bound to fade
for your friends are arriving but at the wrong gate
where the priest are conspiring for a new money fate
The beast has arrived
in the industry of war
in the industry of poverty
In the bankers’ mistakes
The beast has arrived
we all know his name
it’s getting really vile now
it’s getting really late
After launching her super-duper 6-track EP Chaos Of Time last March, Langford
closes the year with this rock-and-rap-punk banger. Whang, whang, whang.
Foefetti has somehow a fuller resonance than her previous pieces. And it works spot on. Glittery, glammy and trash-y (like the video). Be ready to sing happy birthday to 6-year-old princess Jodie midway. Don’t worry afterward you can continue to pogo around the table. Treat yourself, buy this present here.
Helter skelter. What a riff-deranged head-over-heels speedball.
AWESOME. Think Australian barbed wire rock generator Amyl And The
Sniffers getting even louder and nastier than they already are. Irked
produce no-nonsense punk pandemonium with a dashing fanaticism
and crazed ruckus.
The vocalist screams her lungs out with intimidating force. MENTAL.
Don’t mess with her, don’t look for trouble with her. She’s a ragging
rapping reactor. Sharp-teethed stuff, shattering debut.
These 4 motherrockers learned their craft by making noisy waves in different
bands before. They just released their cooking 4-track EP named ROBOT.
Robot artwork
The title track is a bass/guitar-riff steamroller going everywhere fast.
A fanatical flare-up that speeds towards a monstrous climax. Who needs
humans when robots kick ass this knife-edged way.
London’s inflammable grime-rap-punk turbine Bob Vylan have canned their third
album. It’s named Humble As The Sun and will see the day of light on 5 April 2024.
These British mavericks rattle and rumble from the get-go on this crackerjack
blast. They don’t like a boring normal life. Who can blame them? The frustration
is accentuated by freakish guitar/bass frenzy, merciless drumming and flustered vocals.
Solid sucker-punch. Never lose faith in this band.
Crows On Wires is the dark-dream-wave project of German artist Antje Davids-Weis.
This new single echoes previous pieces. Rotating synth beats, shadowy dynamics, darksome vocals work together and turn Stop The Clock into a terrifically catching
stomper.
9. ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ by SLEATER-KINNEY (Seattle, WA)
Washington‘s longtime rollin’ indie-pop-punk stars SLEATER-KINNEY
who started their journey (with 3 members) back in 1994, went on a
break in 2006, reloaded their engines in 2014, became a duo – Carrie
Brownstein and Corin Tucker – have their new, 10th LP, baptized Little
Rope out on 19 January 2024.
2nd single Say It Like You Mean It is
edged guitar pop at its racy best.
10. ‘The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me‘ by SUEDE (UK)
Last year the glam veterans Suede released their 9th,
back to top form, albumAutofiction.
An expanded edition shows up on December 8. It
includes a live LP. More info and order detailshere.
Along with the LP’s release came a 4-track EP that was available for
only one week. The songs will appear now on the expanded box.
The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me will be one of them.
A vintage Suede sparkler with Anderson‘s emotional vocals going sky-high
on the chorus. Can’t understand why this stellar song wasn’t on the original
album. Anyway, it’s here now.
It’s been 5 years since this Belgian garage guitar indies released
their debut album Common Specimen/Indoor Mold.
But they’re back now, and they didn’t lose their electrical mojo nor their sassy swagger. Crazed drums, afire guitars and tense vocals are what you get. Don’t miss their return.
This weird Canadian trio nails it with their new single Wish It Back, a heartfelt tribute to times gone by.
It’s a spry rocker that swings forth and back. From harmonious tenderness to zippy discharge, from shiny guitar sparks to electrifying commotion, while poignant vocals add extra emotive energy to this splendid nugget. It’s about looking back nostalgia we all are familiar with, wrapped here in a forceful piece of music.
I Feel Nothing is the first new piece of music in over 2 years from this British indie trio.
One spin and I knew we had a winner here. I Feel Nothing is a funky pop
groove, richly orchestrated with footstompin’ drums, glistening synths, wah-wah
guitar here and there, pumping bass and spacey vocals. It swings back and forth,
with a hip-shaking impact when the delirious chorus comes up. Think Tears For
Fears, Depeche Mode and Tame Impala all rolled into one.
Wolf:“This song delves into the complex theme of loyalty conflicts, the inner divide
between descendants and parents (us and them) and the broader social division into
‘us’ and ‘them’, (fueled by social media and war).”
Capricorn is a spellbinding slow-mo musing with an ominous sonority produced
by electric bass, sober drums and eerie acoustic guitar play. It creates a trance-like atmosphere with its subtle and low-key orchestration and Van Wymeersch gloomy
vocals. Fascinating score.
So much is happening on this crazy cut. First in, hungry guitars and footstompin’ drumming immediately joined by frolicsome synth touches that easily could be experienced as the theme of a creepy movie, depending on your (in)stable
state of mind.
Next, eerie vocals, backed by some spooky howling, check in adding a what’s going on
vibe, and zigzagging through all the sonic razzmatazz. Head-spinning stuff, folks.
16. ‘Can You See Me?’ by CATHOLIC GUILT (Melbourne, Australia)
The song is a tale of lost identity and feeling at odds with yourself.
It’s feverishly rushing ripper propelled by an army of guitars, hefty drumming and
psyched vocals. This manic missile reflects frontman/songwriter’s Brenton Harris
identity issues spot-on.
Sonically as well as lyrically, Can You See Me resonates like a much-needed escape from
a troubled and confused state of mind. I guess this sounds familiar to so many of us out there. If you’re a Fall Out Boy fan you’ll definitely add this fiery emo piece to your favourite playlist.
The band’s name is a testament to their stature and nature – alter kaker is a Yiddish term for an old person, or as the band likes to call it, “an old fart.” That level of self-awareness helps when creating a song like “When You’re Gone.”
The band’s Steve Bronstein wrote this track one year ago near the close of a relationship. But unlike the more common musical theme in breakup songs, the singer isn’t sad about the conclusion – he relishes it.
Looking for an infectious jump-for-joy post-breakup tune? Here it is.
After playing with some bands, Belgian musician Mirabelle van de Put decided
in 2021 to go solo under the moniker of HAZE. Her excellent self-titled debut LP appeared the same year.
She’ll have her sophomore one, titled Out of Sight, out in January.
Hiding is the first single. A glinstering dream pop musing featuring sparkling guitar
and smooth bass play, and van dePut‘s enticing voice takes you on a relaxing trip that flares up now and then.
The eye-catching video is created by Naomi Kerkhove.
Lauren Anderson is a Chicago born and Nashville-based singer-songwriter.
She has, so far, 3 albums on her résumé. And has now new single Love Again
out.
Expect a towering voice. Zestful, vivacious and highly gripping. Classic country-blues splendor. The kind of song that send shivers down your spine with its full-hearted
passion and its overwhelming sonority.
Wurlitzer jukeboxes were invented back then to play affecting tunes like this one
in smoky bars to comfort lonely souls and melancholic hearts. This sort of music
will never lose its healing impact.
Wolf:“This song delves into the complex theme of loyalty conflicts, the inner divide
between descendants and parents (us and them) and the broader social division into
‘us’ and ‘them’, (fueled by social media and war).”
Capricorn is a spellbinding slow-mo musing with an ominous sonority produced
by electric bass, sober drums and eerie acoustic guitar play. It creates a trance-like atmosphere with its subtle and low-key orchestration and Van Wymeersch gloomy
vocals. Fascinating score.
One of his best songs (so far). No sign yet of a 2nd album, following
his excellent debut album The Early Years that came out last year.
LYRICS
summertime, mid-July
you’re strolling round the seashore
the manic skies heave a sigh
the crooked lines and
the grave man’s smile soothe your mind
the thrill of life for the next of kin
is it your hope or mine?
for a better life
are you one of us or are you one of them?
are you one of us or are you one of them?
in the fields or in the streets
are you laying low or back on you feet?
what do you choose:
sad happy or a happy sad?
in a better life
are you one of us or are you one of them?
are you one of us or are you one of them?
file under past, classified, it’s understood
not frowned upon but freed from your inner ghosts
to a better life
are you one of us or are you one of them?
are you one of us or are you one of them?
TUTV: Eazy Like Me has an instantly sticking groove that keeps your ears company
all the way. The mood is melancholic and heavy-hearted, caused by the loss of a
beloved one that ignites more questions than answers in one’s mourning mind
when a tragedy like that happens.
This bittersweet pop gem is grippingly orchestrated, both subtle and heart-and-soul touching. And once again Vanwymeersch‘s crooning voice generates comforting and easygoing feelings. Beautiful, just beautiful. I’ll always relate this affecting song with
my fantastic mother who passed away six weeks ago
whenever I wake my mind goes to you
they say the first cut’s the deepest
so why waste all those cuts away
I’m not really here and I don’t feel a thing
I’m not drowning i’m swimming
easy like me
do you feel it?
what’s in my dreams is in my head
easy like me
compared to who?
I don’t need a coat when it’s warm outside
the slippers you loathed I’m wearing them out
I’m not totally sane but I’m not cuckoo
I don’t see dead faces by the light of the moon
easy like me
do you feel it?
what’s in my dreams is in my head
easy like me
easy
whenever ever in doubt:
ever in time
ever in space
there’ll be no one as
easy like me
do you feel it?
what’s in my dreams is in my head
easy like me easy
WOLF VAN WYMEERSH, maestro of Belgian post-punk-sludge crusaders Elefant and guitarist of former power-pop idols The Van Jets wrote-recorded-released his solo debut album, baptized The Early Years last May. A melancholic and romantic record looking back at days gone by.
And here’s his first new 2023 music. THE ART OF LETTING GO is a stripped-to-the-bone reverie about the loss of his father. A chilling musing that grows in feverishness along the way with Wolf‘s soul-stirring voice upfront and an affecting cello riff rollin’ in the back. Goosebumps. I’m sure his father would be touched by his son’s way to try to let go.
