Those Dutch “vagabonds from a different epoch…” i.e. the raw blues-rock trio DEWOLFF will be back with a new studio album titled “Wolffpack” to be released on February 5th.
In the past, we have described their intoxicating concoctions as: “voodoo pain and sweet, slow release…”
The band collected the Dutch Edison Award (The Netherlands version of The Mercury Music Prize) in February 2019 for ‘Best Rock Band’ and recorded their 7th ‘studio‘ album entirely on the road with only an 8-track and a handful of instruments.
Speaking about studio album #9, their singer/guitarist Pablo van de Poel said:
“I figured: never in our lives are we going to have this much time again to soak up inspiration, to write and create… Music is our favorite thing in the world.”
With lockdown restrictions imposed across the world, a “DeWolff Demo Panel” WhatsApp group was set-up between guitarist Pablo van de Poel, Luka van de Poel (drums) and Robin Piso (Hammond organ) for them to quickly and efficiently exchange ideas.
What started as a basic concept, grew. In June, they announced a special subscription Wolffpack service. Those that signed up would get three new songs, every two weeks for ten weeks, and the fans would get to choose the tracklisting for an album, exclusive to them.
Several friends appear on the album such as the soulful roots-rockers the Dawn Brothers, the blues-rockers The Grand East, singer-songwriter Judy Blank, plus Broken Brass, French singer-songwriter Theo Lawrence and ex-Wolfmother bassist Ian Peres.
It seems that this time around the Dutch trio have been more inspired by the “proggy” side of toolshed blues — so for the 2021 outing think more along the lines of U.K. (band) or Darryl Way’s Wolf or even (dare we say) the funky prog-blues fusion that was once delivered by Oysterhead.
For example, the muddy-squirty track “Yes You Do” (with Judy Blank and ex-Wolfmother’s Ian Peres) has already been released (video shared below) and is a rhodium-plated time capsule of blackcurrant bass notes, squidgy keys, and suet pudding vocals that are fixed into the rhythm with gluey fizz-gum. It’s as explosively pukish as a sherbet thunderburst.
“Treasure City Moonchild” is a rolling winch of organ, drums, and rumbling intent with screeching guitars and the kind of sparkle and lighting enlightenment we once enjoyed with Jefferson Starship, circa ‘75.
“Sweet Loretta” starts out as a bold guitary blues number, but even this has a silky satin sheen that feels kinda maudlin… and with vocals that sound like they came from Lennon (produced by Spector) in about 1971, this is an efficacious slice of wistfully retro rock ‘n’ roll.
Yes, it is all wonderful: for instance, the soulfully sweet track “Half of Your Love” is like finding a musty copy of your fave Stylistics album at the bottom of a crate, and then reminiscing about all those groovy nights and auspicious days (now gone) you once had… yes, like a lost & found vinyl, this will have a place, forever, precious in your heart.
File alongside: Curved Air, Butts Band
Words: @neilmach 2021 ©
Link: https://www.facebook.com/dewolfficial/
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