Ghinzu releases new album 'W.O.W.A' | out 29/05

From the rich tradition of expansive art-rock that has long flowed out of mainland Europe, the much-loved and critically acclaimed Ghinzu today announce their return with their fourth studio album and first in 17 years, W.O.W.A (When Other Worlds Await), due for release via Play It Again Sam on 29th May 2026.

From selling more than 100,000 copies of their breakthrough second album Blow across Europe, to sharing stages with the likes of Muse, Placebo and Iggy & The Stooges, and seeing their music featured on the soundtrack of the global hit film 'Taken', Ghinzu have long stood as one of Belgium’s most iconic rock exports.

The record has been a work in progress for some time, with Ghinzu having written almost 90 fully fledged ideas for their new album, before whittling this down to the final tracklisting. “We had all these hard drives everywhere,” recalls Ghinzu frontman John Descamps. “We wanted to gather 10 tracks together to really represent all those years of condensed work.”

The results take Ghinzu back to basics, before blasting them into uncharted territories. Their formative influences – the energy and expression of Queen; the raucous grunge noise of Nirvana and The Melvins – remain, alongside their passion for visual art. Name-checking the painters Gerhard Richter and Francis Bacon as points of inspiration, they stepped back from their perfectionist leanings to embrace music at its most raw and powerful.

Travelling to Los Angeles studio Hillside Manor, Ghinzu worked alongside the hugely experienced figure of Dave Sardy on this record, a crucial individual who became an additional member of the band. “The studio is kind of a gold mine,” reflects John. “There’s an enormous amount of microphones, amplifiers, keyboards, guitars all around you. You’re sitting in the same room where Oasis and The Rolling Stones recorded. You can feel the history.”

The results speak for themselves. When Other Worlds Await is a terrific record, laced with raw pulsions and engineered tensions. The distillation of a decade’s worth of ideas, it finds Ghinzu revelling in creative maturity. “Time is important. It allows you to open your eyes on the different person you’ve become,” John notes. “We question everything a little less. We’re more grounded and don’t over-think it.”

• 05.06.26 @ Ancienne Belgique, Brussel SOLD OUT
• 19.07.26 @ Dour Festival, Dour
• 29.10.26 @ Forest National, Brussel