Last week, Beatenberg's third album came out. It's called The Great Fire of Beatenbergand I think I've listened to it at least once per day since then. With each listen, I find myself more and more into it.
I first encountered Beatenberg about a year after moving back to Cape Town. I was a bit slow up the uptick, but their debut album The Hanging Gardens of Beatenberg (2014) soon became a mainstay in my musical rotation. Whenever the sun was up and the vibe was happy, I'd put the album on - especially with friends around (these friends invariably ended up falling in love with Beatenberg, as well).
A few years later the South African trio released 12 Views of Beatenberg(2018). I heard a friend comment that "they'd lost their mainstream appeal," but I gotta give them credit for that; they kept true to their sound and didn't attempt to force something for the sake of extra spins (even if they were, indeed hoping for more spins).
It's been six years since their sophomore release. There've been a smattering of singles since then, but I gotta say that The Great Fire of Beatenberg has quickly become my favorite release of them all.
Throughout the album's ~45 minutes of music, lead singer Matthew Field (aka M Field) delivers complex melodies and melancholic lyrics in a somehow upbeat and light manner. If I weren't listening to the words, I'd probably consider half of these to be happy songs, and perhaps they are. I can't help but feel that there's some sort of positive lining to them all.
In concert with Robin Brink's complex rhythms and Ross Dorkin's steady bass lines, the trio pull off ear worm after ear worm. It's no wonder my children know the words already (... as do I, of course).
It's hard to pick a favorite song from the lot. If I were forced, I'd probably say that "Don't Call Her Over To You" is the most-approachable for a broader audience (which is why I'm sharing it here). "Eau De Toilette" also has a catchy chorus.
For myself though I'd say that "Bath Towels" (lovely melodic progressions) and "3 Arts" are the my current go-to songs. On the latter in particular there's a deep bassline that comes in halfway through the song (~2:30) that absolutely melts my brain. You'll probably need a good pair of headphones to hear it, but the first time I listened to the song I had to stop everything I was doing and surrender myself to an absolute eargasm. The closest thing I can compare it to is Coldplay.
Raving positivity aside, I recognize this album probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's harder and harder to "break out" with a new release these days, even as an established act. Without some sort of prior connection to an artist, falling for a new album is easier said than done. And I think in the case of Beatenberg, their melancholic approach can be hard to get into on first listen.
That said, the band are in a pretty solid position: they've got a really strong core fanbase (particularly in South Africa and the UK), and this release is likely to re-engage those who found themselves won over by the first and second albums.
Case in point: this new release has been spun nearly 10,000 times on Spotify in its first week, a number that 99% of artists would kill for. And I imagine that a good chunk of those listeners will add this to their library on repeat. I know I certainly will.
In case you missed it, here's the link to The Great Fire of Beatenberg. It might take more than one listen to fall in love with, but I think it's worth it.
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