Following their hit album, Love, Death & In Between, released in February via Mascot Records, Dutch trio DeWolff has a new single, with accompanying cinematic video out in ‘Will O’ The Wisp’.
Regarding ‘Will O’ The Wisp’, the band asid, “This song might be one of our favourite songs from our latest album. It was inspired by a folklore tale: the will o’ the wisp is a strange light that can appear above swamps and marshlands, possibly leading nightly wanderers – Mistaking it for a sign of life, shelter for the night or maybe a friendly spirit to guide them through the dark- to their demise, to their drowning in the deadly waters of the swamplands. A strict diet of Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac and Santana provided the rest of the inspiration for this song that basically wrote itself.
“The Will o’ the Wisp’s tale of mysticism really resonated with our good friend and filmmaker Damien Hope (who made a documentary called Dedication, featuring a certain Pablo van de Poel), who liked the song so much he proposed to make a video for it. Together with a tiny crew, he travelled to Scotland to shoot this breathtakingly beautiful piece of art, this video that perfectly complements our music. We are incredibly proud to present to you: Will O’ The Wisp’!”
You can check out the video right here at RAMzine.
DeWolff has previously released videos for ‘Heart Stopping Kinda Show’ and ‘Night Train’ from their first number one album – Love, Death & In Between – in their native Netherlands.
In May 2022, they went to Kerwax, an analogue studio in the village of Loguivy-Plougras in Brittany. Located in North-western France and surrounded by forests, they retreated to the residential studio for two weeks, engulfed in vintage recording equipment from the 1940s to the 1970s. They recently released a documentary of the making of the album, DeWolff – Together At Kerwax.
The band spent the second half of 2022 careering across Europe with Toto, The Black Crowes and performing several headline shows. This year, they recently completed a staggering run of sold-out shows, as they trawled through the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France and the UK.
Taking a brief pause to celebrate a nomination for an Edison Award (The Dutch Grammys) for Double Cream, their album with The Dawn Brothers, they have already packed back up and hit the road for some more heavy-duty touring, including upcoming performances at Paaspop, Roadburn, Pinkpop, North Sea Jazz Festival. Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea III Mediterranean cruise and more.
Recording live to tape, with no overdubs, brothers Pablo (guitar/vocals) and Luka van de Poel (drums/vocals) alongside Robin Piso (Hammond/Wurlitzer) were joined by a host of friends for the recordings. The themes on the album were partly inspired by novels from 20th-century American authors, particularly John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat.
According to Pablo van de Poel, “There is a quote from him, ‘Thegood story lay in half-told things which must be filled in out of the hearer’s own experience,’ and that was something I really wanted to do with lyrics on this record.” At the same time, the band were deep diving into old soul and R&B records – Sam Cooke, The Impressions, The Coasters, The Clovers, Ray Charles and Little Richard, as well as a heavy dose of gospel – The Soul Stirrers, Al Green and early records by The Staple Singers.
Love, Death & In Between features the tracks ‘Night Train’, ‘Heart Stopping Kinda Show’, ‘Will O’ The Wisp’, ‘Jackie Go To Sleep’, ‘Rosita’, ‘Mr. Garbage Man’, ‘Counterfeit Love’, ‘Message For My Baby’, ‘Gilded (Ruin of Love)’, ‘Pure Love’, ‘Wontcha Wontcha’ and ‘Queen Of Space & Time’ and is out now via Mascot Records here.
