Ha Ha Heartbreak (180g) [LP]

Half a decade ago, Balthazar head Maarten Devoldere took our musical hearts by storm with the triumphant one-two punch of "We Fucked A Flame Into Being" (2016) and "Warhaus" (2017). 

The songs from the brand new album "Ha Ha Heartbreak" bubbled out of him in just three weeks in the sultry Palermo air. All Devoldere needed for it was the solitude of a hotel room, a guitar, a microphone and a heart recently broken into a thousand pieces. For the grief that was hard to bear, Sicily was an escape. But those who try to run away from life quickly run into themselves. So Maarten Devoldere dramatically dismantles his own pose in 10 pieces, lyrically exposes his darkest thoughts. 

The sound, on the other hand, remains wonderfully light. It swings and shines with enticing strings, sensual backing vocals, horns, playful piano parts and everything else that helps to cheer things up. Thus, "Ha Ha Heartbreak" is both a moving emotional exploration of an artist and an album of the utmost musical richness.