Orange Monks releases new album ‘Antelope’ and plays intimate shows

Following three previously released singles, the Danish indie rock ensemble Orange Monks led by singer and songwriter Henrik Astrup releases its new album Antelope today. Orange Monks burst onto the scene in the early 2010s with critically acclaimed releases and a run of concerts. But writer’s block and an increasing anxiety about performing brought frontman and driving force Henrik Astrup’s musical journey to an abrupt standstill.

It would take a renewed artistic vision—and a reimagined approach to songwriting—to unlock his creativity once more. The result is Antelope: an album that seamlessly weaves classic songcraft with cinematic instrumental passages, inviting stillness, immersion and reflection as a counterpoint to the relentless noise of the times.

Astrup states on the album: “The vision for the new album was, from the very beginning, to create a record that could contain both instrumental, cinematic atmospheres and more traditional songs with lyrics and a rhythmic, band-driven approach—all within the same album. I wanted to create something you could put on after a long day, allowing yourself to drift away for a while and forget your troubles.

I was also drawn to exploring something more analog and tactile in the sound—something you can almost reach out and touch. A sound that engages the listener on a sensory level, like a heart beating in steady rhythms beneath melting ice."

Astrup and Orange Monks are celebrating the album release with two upcoming Danish concerts. The first is tonight in a duo format at Vinbix at Institut for X by Godsbanen in Aarhus, and on May 30 the ensemble will perform as a trio at Susannes Bistro in Kolind.

Orange Monks was formed in Aarhus in 2010. Singer, songwriter and composer Henrik Astrup has always been the band’s creative core, collaborating over the years with a wide circle of musicians. When the band released their debut EP Black Lung in 2010, it was met with strong reviews in leading Danish outlets including Gaffa and Politiken. Momentum quickly followed, with an active live schedule and two subsequent albums, Lion’s Den (2011) and Deadstock (2015). The early years brimmed with promise—until everything came to a halt, as Henrik was out of energy and withdrew from the performing side of his musical life.

After what accumulated to be years of writer’s block and mounting stage anxiety, Henrik once more found his way into songwriting, guided in part by a daily discipline inspired by filmmaker David Lynch’s reflections on creativity. Every day, seven days a week, Henrik sat down in his home studio for two hours. “I just had to show up—like a craftsman in his workshop. Same time, same place. That was the rule.” The simplicity of the ritual opened a door to his creativity, and now, six years after their last release, Orange Monks return with Antelope.

The original vision for Antelope was to create a record that combined cinematic instrumental landscapes with folk-infused indie rock songs. Henrik’s compelling, intimate vocal delivery—along with his ear for harmonies and layered textures—forms the backbone of the record, while elements of nature run as a common theme throughout the album. Antelope is a work that slows things down and invites calm and reflection, serving as a counterweight to the chaos and overstimulation that surround us in everyday life — a sense of calm and immersion that Henrik has sought in order to write songs again, and which we all probably need from time to time to find ourselves.