Arid

Now let's not talk about Buckley, Bono or Bruce. The vocal chords of Jasper Steverlinck have been compared a little too often with those of those other handsome leaders. The magic of Arid lies mainly in the combination of Steverlinck with the sharp guitar playing of David Du Pré and the spicy drum parts of Steven Van Havere. Put those three men together and the picture is correct.

They proved this for several years after their well-deserved final place in Humo's Rock Rally with their first song 'Little Things Of Venom'. Immediately good for a record deal with Columbia Records and an American release. Arid had left. They did it with Suede, rocked Europe with Counting Crows and made it onto the line-up of all major music festivals. “Great,” the men said, and they added a second successful studio album (All Is Quiet Now), a theater tour and a live album.

After Jasper did his thing solo on 'Songs Of Innocence' and scored a monster hit with the Bowie cover 'Life On Mars', Arid was there again in 2008 with 'All Things Come In Waves'. An album that revved up the Arid drive, which translated into a series of steamy concerts. Because yes, Arid is still the most convincing live. Those who sometimes find their records too polished will be blown away by the sexy synergy on stage.

And look, we now find those sharp edges on 'Under The Cold Street Lights', the fourth studio album of Arid. “The new Arid sounds rawer and more sensual,” writes De Morgen. And the cutting single 'Come On' is the first strong example of this. The band has therefore consciously chosen to experiment more with sound and instruments. Vintage synths, distorted strings, autoharp and more of those moody things make the sound of the new Arid surprisingly varied. Dramatic and powerful, mysterious and melodic. And worth discovering, but you already understood that.