WANHEDA returns with their second EP Dusty Trails

Promo foto WANHEDA

Dusty Trails is one of the most fun and engaging post-rock records you’ll hear this year.
A legendary pairing of Western soundtrack, SFX-powered breakdowns and inimitable jazz instrumentation which establishes WANHEDA as one of the most compelling acts in the burgeoning Belgian rock scene.

Release date: 22 November 2024.​

​WANHEDA returns with their second EP Dusty Trails, continuing theirarc of creatingemotionally charged concept albums for thepassionate and theintellectual.Opening Dunk!festivalin 2019 and releasing their vibrant and expansive debut LP made themone of Belgium’s finest post-rock acts to watch, but with Dusty Trails WANHEDA cement themselves as one of the most compelling acts in the scene today!

Incorporating a wide pallette of instrumentation as well as surprising influences fromhard rock and classical guitar music, these cinematic progenies of the burgeoning Belgian rock scene have been blazing their own trail in post-rock since 2016. Meanwhile, they have also been unafraid to tread in the footsteps of genre greats like MONO and Explosions in the Sky, producing the timeless melodies and transformativelistening experiences we all love. The result is a refreshing combination of the familiarand the unexpected which makes WANHEDA a welcome and stimulating source for the soundtrack of your life!

«Beneath the Vulture’s Gaze» opens up the album like a rock opera overture launching straight into the soundtrack vibes with marching drums, western guitars,and a lone trumpet played by Geert Moesen. Dusty Trailswears its Western concept on its sleeve, quite literally, but in comparison to Desert of Realthe storyline is less elaborate. “With this EP we wanted to go back to basics, allowing the listener to create their own interpretation of the songs, ”explains guitarist Jan Boucké about the creation of the EP.

On Dusty Trails, the Leuven-based sextet dial back on the instrumentation, while turningup on the intricacy of their craft. There are moments where the members’ past inmetalcore outfit Balances shines through in a subtle way, like the winding foot-pedalheavy mid-section of «Beneath the Vulture’s Gaze» or the demure breakdown that backs Jan Verduyckt’s guitar solo on «Inthe Footsteps of the Nameless». Second track «Gritand Glory» combines syncopated drum patterns with vintage surf-inspired guitars, while ​«Gold Fever Dreams» sees the band explore a sonic expansiveness akin to the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperorand Tangled Thoughts of Leaving.

The myriad of styles and ideas is what makes Dusty Trailsan amazingly fun record to listen to. Every section has been composed with a lot of deliberation and attention to detail, but WANHEDA also doublesup on the funwith their hard-rock inspired guitarsolos and balls-to-the-wall songwriting. They lean right into Tenacious D territory to the point where you might consider–what if Jack Black wrote a wild west-themed instrumental rock record? Dusty Trails might just be the answer to that!

​Dusty Trails is one of the most fun and engaging post-rockrecords you’ll hear this year, but it also reinforces the sextet’s dedication to their art of producing transformativesonic journeys.The seamless transition in to an Ennio Morricone theme half-waythrough the EP is a testament to their aptitude in the department of writing compelling melodies, and it is this pairing of legendary soundtrack with SFX-powered breakdowns and inimitable layers of jazz instrumentation which elevates WANHEDA to become one the most compelling acts in the Belgian rock scene today.

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