Lonely City Exit Wounds. Blaudzun

With the trilogy of albums years behind us by now, it is time for a new album for Blaudzun, In the past months one single after the other was fired off into the world, culminating in a Topsong on radio 2 in the past week. The album remained out of sight but not any longer. Lonely City Exit Wounds is there.

The first words reaching me were in Oor writing that Blaudzun reached for Coldplay heights. Now Coldplay and I have not been a good combination since 2005. So, where do Blaudzun an I go with his first album of the 20s?

The fact that Blaudzun and I go back for about a decade by now in an ever better musical relationship did make me look forward to listening to an even better album. I wasn't worried at all, despite the fact that a band can always make an album that does not go down well.

Within a few songs I was totally convinced that Blaudzun had made another great album. One that I do not count out to be able to become my favourite. Everything that I appreciate in the band's music is there and somehow at a different level. As if everything and everybody has been elevated to a higher level. The thought struck me that I'm listening to the essence of what Blaudzun is, as if the band went through a distilling process. The nucleus was then brought to the listener as direct as possible, without a need to hide behind anything. Lonely City Exit Wounds is the great result of this elaborate process.

This conclusion is based more on my immediate thoughts, instincts if you like, than that I've played all my Blaudzun albums preparing for this review. Far from it. I wanted to be as less biased as possible. For me, it comes with the atmosphere Lonely City Exit Wounds. All the songs are direct, the arrangements all a direct part of the songs and not embellishments. Blaudzun rocks more openly as well. Just listen to the moment Johannes Sigmond sings "I'm wide open now" in 'Wide Open'. Blaudzun does not often rock out as hard as this, without becoming a rock band of course. All signs of the essence bared by leaving out extra's.

Promo photo: Andreas Terlaak

For international readers not knowing the band. If I have to compare, to me Arcade Fire remains the closest I can think of. Deeper down, I would point to the early 80s U2 and Simple Minds, if they had been as good as musicians and arrangers then, as Blaudzun is in 2022. Truth is that Blaudzun has carved out his own universe in the past 10 years. Music that is instantly recognisable as his. In 2012 I wrote on this blog "Watch out world, Blaudzun is coming". In 2022 I still think this is a band that ought to be known at the global level as in nothing Blaudzun is any less than Arcade Fire. Coming from The Netherlands is equal to a less easy road to travel being born in Arnhem compared to the U.S. or Canada.

Listening to a strong rock song like 'End Times Kissing The Daytimer' should do the trick. Next up is the latest single, 'Wide Open'. Both songs are instantly convincing and on a straight level with a song like 'Everything Now'.

And Coldplay? It may be one of the biggest bands on earth but it may wish to have recorded and released any of the songs on Lonely City Exit Wounds ever since 'X&Y' in 2005 (and I already expressed my doubts on that album at the time). Blaudzun is in great form on its new album and this may indeed be its best to date.

Wout de Natris