Follow Aidan & The Wild
Over two years ago I released the first episode of my all indie show “Why Doesn’t Everyone Know These Songs?”, and one of the artists featured on that very first episode was Aidan & The Wild. Back then I was slightly obsessed with his stunning song “Dreamer” which became part of my life soundtrack in the following years. So it’s safe to say that I have been a fan for some time, and when I got an email announcing his debut album I knew I was in for a treat. And I wasn’t disappointed… “Revelation Never Came” is just the album I needed towards the end of this year.
One thing I always loved about Diederik van den Brandt’s work is the delicate balance he finds between the personal and ethereal. The layered vocals and dreamy guitars create a stage for the poetic which results in really unique friction with some of the really raw and direct feeling lyrics. “Keep you distance, build resistance/all you fuckers need to stay the hell away from me/ I don’t want to die, I don’t want to kill you”. The themes are both hopeful but realistic, with often simple but perfectly chosen hook lines that contrast the more descriptive verses. “It is what it is and it isn’t want it ain’t” and “Oh what a world to be living in/oh what a world to be born into”.
Through this very unique artistic lens, the album manages to encapsulate much of the feeling of the time we live in. It faces the struggles of our relationship with the world and ourselves, the world isn’t black nor white and neither are we. It’s in our hands in the end, as the closing song states: “every step is mine to take/I’ll climb this mountain a stepping stone at a time”.
I really enjoyed the songs featuring guest singers, “The Whip” stands out with beautiful vocals by Merel Sophie. And “What It Ain’t” features three additional voices that work incredibly well with the song: Bobbie, Dési Ducrot, and Baptiste W.Hamon. The whole album creates a really cohesive feeling musically with floating guitars, layered vocals, laid-back drums, and playful acoustic guitars.
“Revelation Never Came” showcases how great of a storyteller Diederik is. The songs hit with raw emotional force carried by delightfully folky arrangements and melodies that are bound to get stuck in your head. It’s a really fun album to listen to, with real depth and great musicianship. I highly recommend putting your headphones on and listening to it on a walkover autumn leaves, I ended up dancing, singing, and crying in public, it was marvelous.
You’ll find Aidan & the Wild on our “Fresh Indie” and “Artist Pick” Spotify playlists, make sure you follow this playlist below to discover incredible new music every day.
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