Warhaus, the solo project of Maarten Devoldere, has long been synonymous with superb dandyish pop. Yet on The Donkey, his fifth studio album, he appears to have surrendered to something more primal. Think hypnotic lyrics, raw vocals, tribal rhythms inspired by South African Gqom, and uptempo grooves laced with grime, conjuring images of twisting, feverish bodies.
Having heard the latest tracks Simple Pleasures and The Baby, one might well wonder what this new duality will amount to on stage. Will it be a show steeped in the stylish elegance suggested by Simple Pleasures? Or will the room turn into a sweltering club just before closing time, in keeping with the feral, startling howl of The Baby?
Warhaus refuses the distinction. Why choose between the two when you can have both? Naturally, Devoldere will draw generously from the exhilarating new material that courses through The Donkey, alongside the refined pop songs and familiar classics that have become part of the Warhaus canon.
All the ingredients are there to send any audience gloriously off course, until the line between ecstasy and exhaustion begins to blur. Or, as The Donkey itself foretells in the very first minute: ‘You better think before you’re gonna play with matches / It’s gonna burn’. Bang!
