We Speak Music
PORTLAND drop glorious echoing indie-pop gem ‘Lay Me Down’ ahead of 6th June London show.
Belgian dreampop band Portland today releases their new single ‘Lay Me Down’, a glorious indie-pop gem with huge waves of echoing guitars and a melancholic undertone. A song that wears the scars of recent years on its sleeves, but at the same time expresses an irrepressible zest for life. It bursts out of the speakers and hits hard.
“It’s hard to see what’s still left of me
All these fears will last”
In all fairness, it’s a miracle Portland releases new music today. To call the past few years in the life of singer and guitarist Jente Pironet turbulent is to downplay the truth. The years between the debut album ‘Your Colours Will Stain’ (2019) and latest release ‘Departures’ (2023) were particularly intense. Singles ‘Pouring Rain’ and ‘Killer’s Mind’ propelled the band to stardom in their homeland. Fully embraced by leading alternative music station Studio Brussel, the band sold out multiple tours and was welcomed several times on the stages of Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop. However, a few days after the glorious show at Rock Werchter 2023, a leaden verdict followed: a severe brain tumour with, in the worst scenario, a year to go. Jente’s world stopped turning abruptly. Plans were postponed (cancelling proved unbearable and a step too far) and rehearsals and shows gave way to doctor’s visits and treatments. Instead of hanging his head, Jente clenched his fists and embarked on a long and exhausting rehabilitation journey. In early 2024, the skies slowly began to clear: he received the MIA (Belgian Music Industry Award) for ‘Alternative’ and, under strict medical supervision, was once again allowed to take to the stages of many sold-out concert halls. And look — nearly two years later, Portland’s third album is almost ready.
“Is there a place
Where I can feel, not being misplaced”
‘Lay Me Down’ rings in a fresh start for Portland. It is the sound of someone who went through the eye of the needle, of someone who has had to learn to take a few punches and, as a result, has risen back up with gusto and focus. The single is the prelude to a new album to be released later this year.
Portland will play The Waiting Room in London on 6th June 2025.
We Speak Music
Christian Balvig releases gorgeous new album ‘Find And You Will Seek’ in collaboration with Ensemble Hermes.
Acclaimed composer and arranger Christian Balvig is known for his work with an array of artists and bands like Jade, Efterklang, Lowly, When Saints Go Machine and Mew, as well as his work with some of the most acclaimed orchestras like Royal Northern Sinfonia (BBC Proms), The Royal Danish Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, London Contemporary Orchestra, The Danish Radio Broadcast Orchestra and The Norwegian Wind Ensemble.
The cinematic sound on his new album might echo Balvig’s work in the world of film and TV music. Scoring the 2025 Oscar shortlisted short movie ‘Eternal Father’ and the Danish hit series ‘Cry Wolf’ (Ulven Kommer), which has been shown on television in more than 30 countries around the globe, including Channel 4 in the UK. He was also nominated for a Harpa award for ‘Best score’ last year at the Berlinale for ‘The Son and the Moon (Min Arv Bor I Dig)’.
Balvig’s new album, ‘Find And You Will Seek’, backed by Danish string group Ensemble Hermes, grew organically out of this background of experiences and is music that appeals to listeners seeking original, immersive music with space for reflection and contemplation.
‘Find And You Will Seek’ is a collection of chamber works that explore the combination of piano and strings in new ways. Recent single ‘The BirdSuite II – Praesentia’ is part of a 3-part Suite running throughout the record, written and performed on a custom made “Keybird” piano, which is an una-corda (one string pr note) piano that gives a more subtle and intimate sound. On top of it is a lush and emotional string ensemble arrangement with Ensemble Hermes in multiple layers fluctuating in and out of the keybird piano.
Balvig’s second single from the record is ‘What Happened To The World’, an ultra transparent neo-classical inspired piece, with slow melodic structures, a simple chord progression and emotional performance starting with a floating viola solo. It is written from the feeling that the world sometimes goes backwards, and you feel left on the platform wanting to take the train in a different direction.
From film music inspired pieces to experimental chamber music over piano concerto inspired movements, to more neo-classical productions with almost orchestral sounding dubs of strings, ‘Find And You Will Seek’ flows with emotions and lush sound worlds, always with a tangible organic texture.
Find Christian Balvig and Ensemble Hermes on tour in Denmark:
27.5 Ansgars Kirke (Odense)
28.5 Folkegaarden Festival (Aalborg)
29.5 Gnisten (Ry)
30.5 Musikhuset (Aarhus)
1.6 Basement (Copenhagen)
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