Older EP. Loupe

A debut EP from a new band that is an old band. Dakota featured on this blog, so you can look up what tragic circumstances befell the band, how I got to meet the band in the first place and my advice for the future. Come 2021, enter Loupe.

What is worth mentioning that Dakota's album, 'Here's The 101 On How To Disappear', was released as an LP after all and I have played it regularly ever since. A tour with a new singer was nipped in the bud by the pandemic that is still upon us all. Perhaps that final disappointment led to the true end and to the restart. Together with new singer Julia, Jasmine, Lara and Annemarie finished four songs that had already been written but needed lyrics and vocal melodies.

What stayed is the dreamy quality of the music, the almost ethereal atmosphere in the music. I remember the truckload of effectpadels guitarist Jasmine van der Waals had in front of her during her graduation show at the Amsterdam conservatory. I could imagine her graduating on all the different effects and how to combine them into fantastic sounds, creating a huge part of that atmosphere.

This returns in these songs as well, but is only a part of Loupe's story. The backbone of the band is an integral part of the dreamy music. Without resorting to power the drumming is solid. Recorded and mixed in such a way that every beat can be identified and enjoyed. The bass plays in a combination of rhythm and solo. Believe me, it's fun to follow Lara Kooper's bass lines throughout the songs.

The guitar, or better guitars, do all sorts of things. From subtle arpeggios to full sonic storms, it all comes by and more. Where the singing is always a little dreamy, with subtle, even more dreamy harmonies, the guitars can create the opposite of soft, gentle dreaming. More like chasing turning into indeterminably being chased by an unknown entity in dreams turning unpleasant. Elements that make Loupe's music so interesting to listen to.

Older is a great introduction to Loupe and an immense promise for more to come. As a personal message I can only add that I'm so glad that the trio continued to do what they are so good at, creating beautiful songs. Older shows the right decision was made to continue by starting over again.

Wout de Natris