The Tallest Room Van Houten

• 1 Black And White 04:18
• 2 Never Did Come Back 04:11
• 3 Coming Of Age 04:07
• 4 Panoramic View 03:58
• 5 Note To Self 04:07
• 6 Only Wanna Be With You 01:39
• 7 Head Straight 04:18
• 8 I Let You 08:12
• Total Runtime 34:50

Info zu The Tallest Room

It’s been a long time coming but Van Houten have finally released their debut album The Tallest Room.

Founded on seven years of friendship through times thick and thin and a shared obsession with exploring the fuzziest, far-out corners of 90’s guitar music, Leeds-based sextet Van Houten is ready to show us what they’ve been busy cooking up…

‘The Tallest Room’ is worth the wait. Having enlisted the ears and ideas of producer Alex Greaves (bdrmm, Working Men’s Club, Bloc Party), the album is a captivating melting pot of eclectic influences, conflicting emotions and earworm hooks that celebrates the journey the band has been on and looks forward to the future with optimism, whatever it may hold.

They have cleverly distilled their choicest lo-fi, shoegaze and garage rock inspirations into eight eagerly-awaited tracks of dreamy pop perfection.

The last seven years have seen all manner of ups and downs for Van Houten, but supporting each other through it all has been key to the band defining themselves and their distinctive sound, which is at once melancholic, carefree, upbeat and furious. The rising wall of feedback that introduces album opener ‘Black and White’ gives way to hypnotic grooves and laid back hooks that surround the listener in fuzzed out nostalgia and the electrifying feeling of potential energy. However, singer and guitarist Louis Sadler’s refrain of “I wonder where you’ve gone / Where you’ve been all along” is insistent and direct; tapping into the band’s impressive musical maturity and perspective, introducing a collective disdain for the increasingly prevalent cultural close-mindedness that serves as a recurring theme throughout the album.

Lead single ‘Coming of Age’ approaches the complexity of this issue from another angle, reframing their position as one of optimism and hope for the future as Sadler states “This song explains the main theme of the record which is gaining perspective, growing, and moving forwards”. Swirling major key synths and driving grooves accompany the resounding rhyming couplet “cos we’re coming of age, and there’s still so much to say”, defiantly marking Van Houten’s territory at the forefront of the next generation of guitar music.

Crucially, there’s still room for joy in the lives of Van Houten as the short and sugar-sweet ‘Only Wanna Be With You’ proves in under two minutes whilst the blissed-out, krautrock minimalism of ‘Panoramic View’ sits at the centre of the record and perfectly sums up exactly what makes Van Houten tick. “It’s about going through an often painful, yet necessary process of reflection and growth” and Sadler’s understated phrase “got a panoramic view from the tallest room” encapsulates everything the band have seen, heard and been through and champions appreciating life from a different perspective.

Within this full length lies an honesty & vulnerability that we can all find solace in as Sadlers discloses “our debut feels like the first real milestone in our musical journey. For us, this record represents a new beginning for us as a band and also me personally. Over the past couple of years while we’ve been writing I’ve gone through some massive changes that have really sculpted my outlook and it’s naturally bled into our music… It’s about gaining perspective, moving forwards and while it acknowledges darker experiences and feelings, it’s ultimately about moving on.“ (Adam Kershaw, leedsliving.co.uk)

Louis Sadler, vocals, guitar
Henry Beaumont, bass
Jake Ribton, guitar
Jake Wrigglesworth, keyboards
Ewan Barr, guitar
Lachlan Banner, drums

Van Houten
Van Houten’s core is based on life long friendship, an inability to exist without each other, and an obsession with creating a sonic mixing pot of intimate lo-fi rock + cavernous Shoegaze. Their sound envelops the listener, combining upbeat pop melodies and hooks with downbeat lyrics one minute, before full introspection and aural catharsis the next.

The Leeds based band’s new music sees them find their own, unmistakable sound, something which has been 7 years in the making. It’s been worth the wait, allowing them to explore sounds, textures, and raw emotions. Supporting each other through difficult moments has been key to the band finding their feet and growing into what they are today.

They acquired the input of producer Alex Greaves (bdrmm, Working Men’s Club, Bloc Party) who helped them push harder, delve into a more forceful, raw sound, characterised by chiming dueling guitars and droning moody soundscapes.

The band have matured into something truly unique, melding a 90’s alternative sound and aesthetic with true pop sensibility. Touching on a variety of sounds from lo-fi indie, psych rock, shoegaze and garage rock, Van Houten have reinvented themselves with a strong and defined identity that will mark as a turning point in their careers.

“...listening to their music drifts me off into a world of bliss, I can’t get enough of it” Emily Pilbeam, - BBC 6Music

“A dreamy slice of guitar pop​” - Clash

“Van Houten are worthy of continuous praise”​ - EarMilk

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet