Image credit: Dennis Branko
Amsterdam-based duo Weval (made up of Harm Coolen & Merijn Scholte Albers) announce their long-awaited new album Remember, out on 3rd March on Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour. With the announcement, the duo shared a new single ‘Don’t Lose Time’. The album embarks on a high-energy journey of nostalgic memories and euphoric emotions, seeing the electronic duo reminisce on their own musical journey while reflecting on key influences and inspiration over the years. “We played and embraced this with unshameful nostalgic feelings around discovering music as young music fans” they commented.
‘Remember’ plays around with memory and its ability to distort. As Weval elaborates, “Time is constantly escaping you and when you look back, memories distort – sometimes negatively, sometimes fake, sometimes euphoric and romanticised.” This central theme is explored in sonic contrasts as Weval employs heavily contorted beats with the potential to destroy speakers, only to be salvaged from the brink of collapse by melodically hopeful chords. Their new bombastic sound came as a result of new songwriting methods that saw Weval mashing together seemingly disparate ideas that held completely different lives and energies. Elements of pop, dance and every genre in between are thrown in and whittled down to make their most intense, spontaneous and substantial work to date.
The upcoming album follows on from the 2022 singles “Never Stay For Love”, featuring Dutch singer-songwriter Eefje de Visser, and “Forever”. Both tracks offered early previews to ‘Remember’, leaning on highly textured, driving and sophisticated electronica which the duo have become widely known for.
Weval is well known amongst peers and critics for its beautifully composed melodies and songwriting. Previous press coverage includes impressive support from Pitchfork, Billboard, The Line of Best Fit, Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, Mixmag, Clash, SPIN, Brooklyn Vegan, Crack Magazine, Dummy, Magnetic Mag, The Vinyl Factory and more. Radio highlights include a live performance at the historic Maida Vale studio for BBC Radio 1’s Residency series (alongside artists such as Moderat, Darkstar, Gold Panda, Jessy Lanza and AKASE), plus support from the likes of Lauren Laverne, Tom Ravenscroft, KEXP, KCRW, SiriusXMU, Beats In Space and many more. Their music has been featured in TV shows Good Girls, Industry, and the HBO hit drama I May Destroy You by Michaela Coel. Weval recently completed a EU/UK and US tour with stops along Berlin, Istanbul, Brooklyn, Miami, LA, Vancouver and more. They have previously performed with a live five-piece band to emphatic festival crowds at Primavera Sound, Sonar Festival Istanbul, DGTL Amsterdam, Lightning In A Bottle, OSHEAGA, Lost Village, Lowlands, Down The Rabbit Hole, Best Kept Secret and many more. They’ll return to the stage this Spring on a run of EU/UK and North America dates. Tickets go on sale Friday, 20th January at 10 am [Local Time].
‘Remember’ Tracklist:
1. Remember
2. Everything Went Well
3. Losing Days
4. Where It All Leads
5. Don’t Lose Time
6. Never Stay For Love (feat. Eefje de Visser)
7. Day After Day
8. Changed For The Better
9. I Saw You
10. Is That How You Feel It
11. Forever
About Weval:
The first meeting in 2010, Harm and Merijn formed their formidable creative alliance back in 2012 when they were both working in film – when Harm brought Merijn on board to assist with a music video for some friends in a band. They began experimenting together, enjoying the music production more than the filmmaking. Neither had experience making music before forming Weval, so they have evolved organically together throughout their partnership. It’s an ongoing project that evolves naturally, each new release a learning experience that feeds back into their creative output.
(Tour Flyer – Download here)
Weval 2023 Live EU/UK Dates
March 9 – Milan, IT – Arca
March 14 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
March 16 – Rotterdam, NL – Annabel
March 17 – Nijmegen, NL – Doornroosje
March 22 – Brussels, BE – Botanique – Rotonde
March 23 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
March 24 – Dublin, IE – The Workmans Club
March 28 – Oslo, NO – John Dee
March 29 – Copenhagen, DK – Rust
March 30 – Berlin, DE – Zenner
March 31 – Zurich, SE – Papiersaal
April 6 – London, UK – The Lower Third
April 7 – Budapest, HU – A38
April 8 – Athens, GR – Oddity Club
2023 North America Dates
April 21 – New York, NY – Elsewhere Main
April 22 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club
April 24 – Boston, MA – Sinclair
April 26 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
April 27 – Toronto, ON – Axis
April 28 – Detroit, MI – El Club
April 29 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
April 30 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
May 2 – Denver, CO – Ophelia’s
May 4 – San Jose Del Cabo, MX – Sundream
Follow Weval:
Spotify–AppleMusic–YouTube–Bandcamp–Soundcloud–Instagram–TikTok–Facebook–Twitter
