Orange Monks’ releases new single ‘Keep Trying'

Danish indie rock band 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.

In February, Orange Monks released the album’s first single, By All Means, and today the second single, the determined indie rock song, Keep Trying, is released - Henrik Astrup states on the song:

“A song I recorded in Nikolaj Heyman’s studio in Sydhavnen in Aarhus. Nicolaj plays bass and Morten Gisselbæk plays drums, and I’m on guitar and vocals. The lyrics and the structure of the song came quite easily while we were standing in the studio and hit record. It’s about unfulfilled love and my indomitable will, where I repeatedly catch myself keeping at it until the bitter end.”

Also listen to the first single ‘By All Means’ HERE

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 mostage 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.