Deriving their name from Dutch author Robert Loesberg, it is little surprise that Rotterdam’s Lewsberg have drawn heavily on wry cynicism and sixties/seventies’ countercultural cool when forming their sound. Consisting of Shalita Dietrich (vocals, bass guitar), Michiel Klein (guitar), Marrit Meinema (vocals, drums) and Arie van Vliet (vocals, guitar, violin), the project has made a name with a decidedly laconic style, where spare arrangements are accompanied by an almost spoken word lyricism, resulting in a jaded too-cool aesthetic descending from acts like The Velvet Underground.
But as the project has developed, another dimension has slowly began to reveal itself. An earnestness standing in contrast to the hip style. Out and About, the latest Lewsberg album coming later this year, sees this more naïve strand grow increasingly prevalent, as the preview ‘AA’ double single ‘Without A Doubt/Communion’ attests. The former, written by Klein with lyrics from Dietrich, is positively sunny, its carefree rhythm nodding as much to surf pop as urban art rock, while ‘Communion’ even sees a certain brightness dawn on van Vliet’s distinctive spoken word delivery.
But you don’t have to scratch the surface too hard to find the classic Lewsberg spirit underneath, with the lyrics adding a deeper, existential dimension. The question then becomes how the new sound should be taken. Is the cheerful tone a genuine move towards a more positive outlook, or an irony to be folded into the black humour for which the project is known? The full album might tell, but an answer to this question seems beside the point. For Lewsberg exist within such a tension, and it is possible to be cynical and earnest all at once.
