Spoegwolf’s Lente, the latest in an already impressive catalogue of studio albums, presents the band at their tightest and most expansive as they take stock of their place in this ever-changing world.
At its core, the album yearns for a taste of home but fear not, it’s not all weepy nostalgia-ballads. Though “Sterre” may be about leaving the rock-star life for stable suburbia, it puts pay to ideas of sentimentality from the jump with a fine balance between big heartfelt choruses and controlled reasoning.
After a brief interlude for a tiramisu recipe that takes on more subtext with each listen, and a trip to Cloetesville (just outside Stellenbosch), Lente comes to a turning point in “De Warenmarkt”.
A love song snapped at by hounds of hell, the harder and more chaotic edge sets a platform for a shift of mood. The songs that follow – namely “Son” en “Waar Jou Huis Is” – filled with the relief of the end of an arduous journey.
Finally, in uneasy conclusion: “Silwer II”. Feverish, in limbo, it asks if home and peace is really the end-goal and its refusal to resolve, melodically, leaves a question mark hanging over what is easily Spoegwolf’s most engrossing work to-date.
Feature pic supplied by artist
