Wouter Hamel reveals suspenseful, cinematic new track ‘Till April’

Dutch artist Wouter Hamel is back with new single "Till April", the first taste of his collaboration with singer/producer Lilian Hak. The result is a tantalizing new direction, in which jazzy, cinematic-sounding pop takes shape within Hak's cutting-edge, electronic productions. Layered samples and synths create the illusion of specific sets and film noir suspense, all in the service of Hamel's expressive voice.

Rather than opting for a conventional studio, Hak and Hamel chose to record in each other's homes during the summer of 2020. The intimate setting established a strange but beautiful contrast to the baroque atmosphere of the songs the pair wrote. “One of our shared loves is Julie London,” says Hamel, about the touchstones of his as-yet-untitled seventh album.

“During the writing process, we stuck to the idea of letting Wouter's voice really seduce,” Hak added. “He sings softer than ever on these songs, much more intimately. I still know Wouter from school, so I went to listen to his albums again. And then I thought, "Woah, his voice is just really beautiful." I think we should look for a certain simplicity and purity. In order to summon a musical world that you really have to sit for and immerse yourself in.”

"Till April" is described by both artists as an old-fashioned song with a modern twist, a kind of cross-fertilization between Bonnie Beecher's "Come Wander With Me" and Frank Ocean's "Blonde". Samples of brass and strings create both an orchestral grandeur and a more minimalistic, mysterious sound.

According to Hamel, the song is about love in a time of isolation, a life force that tries to break free from harsh digital barriers. “Corona kept me for a while from my loved one. He is French, he lived in France and was unable to leave for a while. In the end it only lasted a week or two, but then I started to imagine what it would be like if you couldn't see each other for a year. The song is about the desire to be able to celebrate love again and be with the person you care about most.”

Wouter Hamel is a world-renowned singer-songwriter and composer whose work straddles the realms of jazz, West Coast pop, funk, neo-soul and electronic music. Throughout the The Hague-born Hamel’s six-album catalogue, he has worked with the likes of Benny Sings, Michael Leonhart, Andy Platts (Mamas Gun) and Benjamin Herman (New Cool Collective).