Ha Ha Heartbreak Warhaus

• 1 Open Window 05:36
• 2 When I Am With You 05:37
• 3 It Had To Be You 03:03
• 4 Time Bomb 04:54
• 5 Desire 04:15
• 6 I'll Miss You Baby 04:05
• 7 Mondello's Melody 01:00
• 8 Batteries & Toys 04:07
• 9 Shadow Play 04:02
• 10 Best I Ever Had 03:18
• Total Runtime 39:57

Info for Ha Ha Heartbreak

Warhaus, the moniker of  Belgium’s foremost alt-crooner, Maarten Devoldere, announces his new album, Ha Ha Heartbreak,  due 11th November via Play It Again Sam.

It has been half a decade since Warhaus, the brainchild of  Maarten Devoldere (Balthazar), suddenly conquered our musical hearts with the triumphant double victory of We F*cked a Flame into Being  (2016) and Warhaus  (2017). And no, not because he spent his time relentlessly writing and refining new material in Ghent, on the contrary. The songs of the brand-new album  Ha Ha Heartbreak  came gushing out if him in a mere three weeks in the sultry city of Palermo. All Devoldere needed was the solitude of a hotel room, a guitar, a microphone, and a heart that had recently been broken in thousands of pieces. The sorrow was hard to handle, so, of course, Sicily was an escape. But as it goes, those who try to outrun life quickly run into themselves.

A listener won’t notice this immediately. The smoky opening track and first single “Open Window” drifts on a groove that invites you to swing your hips and snap your fingers. Sure, she’s gone, but ‘Girl, it’s in the future we belong,’ Devoldere still sings a bit too confidently. You believe him, not least because the song results in a subtly euphoric outro that is reminiscent of a French seventies film: a glorious, unabashed romantic theme, carried out by a dozen steamy male voices, soars off on the wings of a sweeping string arrangement and reaches its climax with virtuosic piano notes.

This treacherous contrast between form and content persists throughout the entire album: Ha Ha Heartbreak – even the title is catchy – wraps Devoldere’s sorrow into hooks, instant singalong choruses and irresistible melodies.

The sound, however, remains wonderfully light. It swings and glows with tantalizing strings, sensual backing vocals, horns, playful piano parts, anything to lighten the load. It allows Ha Ha Heartbreak to be a moving emotional exploration as well as a vessel of great musical richness.

Along with the announcement, Warhaus shares new single ‘Desire’, in which he addresses just about every god he can imagine, but ‘No matter what I turn to / it’s failing me’.

Devoldere says of ‘Desire’: “Trying to love without attachment? Trying to stop the hedonic treadmill from spinning? Trying to reincarnate as Celine Dion’s voice? Follow me on Instagram for misinformation. This song’s dedicated to all those false idols out there.  Love, Warhaus”

Warhaus

Maarten Devoldere aka Warhaus
We've been waiting for new music from Warhaus for half a decade now. The side project of Maarten Devoldere, who together with Jinte Deprez is also behind Balthazar, impressed in quick succession with the two albums ‘We Fucked a Flame into Being’ and ‘Warhaus’, only to sink back into silence. This was of course due to the fact that the Belgian was busy with other things. But deep down, Devoldere simply needed a stimulus. The songs on the new album ‘Ha Ha Heartbreak’ were not created in the studio in Ghent. They poured out of him during the three weeks he spent in hot Palermo. All he needed was the solitude of a hotel room, a guitar, a microphone and a heart that had recently crumbled into a thousand pieces. Sicily was an escape that ended in a new record. The listener doesn't feel anything of this story at first. The opener swings tastefully like everything from Warhaus. Perhaps Devoldere sings a little too confidently. But with each song he opens up more and more, even if he is still somewhat gracious with himself at first. But the more he breaks down his poses, the more you can hear the pain and despair. The sound, however, remains as light-footed and glowing as a French film with all the strings, wind instruments, sensual backing singers and musical richness. All that remains of Sicily are the original and haunting vocal tracks. If you listen carefully to ‘Time Bomb’, you will notice towards the end, alongside these desperate screams, how the neighbours in the room are banging annoyed against the walls. ‘Ha Ha Heartbreak’ has two winners: Devoldere was able to process his pain and channel it artistically in the most beautiful way; and the listener gets a grandiose, even unique record in this elegant Warhaus style. The project will be coming to us on tour in March.

This album contains no booklet.