Balthazar – Sand

Release date: February 26th 2021
Label: Pias Recordings (BE)
Length: 43 minutes

Released in early 2021, Sand finds Balthazar refining the groove-forward, nocturnal pop language they began developing on Fever (2019). The record trades urgency for elegance: bass-led arrangements, falsetto countermelodies, and restrained electronic textures give the album its late-night pulse. Across 11 tracks, the band explores detachment, desire, inertia, and time passing — themes that echo the record and track titles (Sand, Linger On, Hourglass). Even the record cover is accepting this theme with the Homonculus Luxodontus statue – or “The One Who Waits” – by Dutch artist Margriet van Breevoort disclosed on it.

Let’s dive deep into this well produced and welcomed record by the Flemish indie rock band after Covid-19 lock-down.

“Moment” opens the record like a rising curtain and an understated opener. The sustained rhythm and brass accents immediately establish the album’s sound — warm, groovy tone, and apparent simplicity. The drums are deliberately understated, letting the bass guide momentum rather than force it. Track’s soulful vocal languor and horn textures are tone-setting elements for the record’s direction. The song reads as an entry point into the album’s emotional world: loosen control, accepted ambiguity, drifting moments.

The record continues with one of the album’s sharpest and most seductive track: “Losers“. The bass line spirals around the vocals, while glitch-styled rhythmic touches give the chorus a subtle electronic instability. The interplay between Maarten Devoldere’s baritone and Jinte Deprez’s falsetto becomes central here. The contrast between the voices is a powerful hook engine for an album’s first big moment. This is Balthazar at their most confident: suave, ironic, and slightly dangerous. One of the album’s standout singles. The song can be summarized by the anthemic “We are losers on the verge of something great” which refers to mankind dreaming to achieve something great – in the second verse – among challenging events in life as suggested in the first verse.”

In interviews, the band members described “On A Roll” topic as “the body as a cage” with a lack of control on the situations we find ourselves into and own ways. It feels like we are stuck in our own loop, our own story. Finger-snapping rhythms and elastic bass give it a danceable surface. The chorus leans into falsetto hooks that feel almost ironic in their optimism facing the track theme. Vocal swagger can find some similitudes with Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner recent-style phrasing. The groove is very communicative here while keeping an hollow emotional center on purpose.

“I Want You” is a more openly sensual track with slinky synth bass and restrained percussion and snaps. The song could evoke late-night dancefloor intimacy to listeners. The soft guitar in the bridge deepens the melancholy without breaking the groove. With the lyrics, the repeated declaration of desire feels more obsessive than romantic.  With this track, Sand merges emotional ambiguity with physical immediacy, intimacy and distance at the same time”.

With Disco-adjacent rhythms meeting indie-pop melancholy, the records progress with “You Won’t Come Around“. The groove feels inherited from Bee Gees-style pop filtered through modern synth textures. This track sits at the album’s emotional center with Devoldere’s baritone voice at its prime. It captures the feeling of suspended time better than any other moment in the album. This song is described by the writers dealing about the guilt we feel after following our selfish heart blindly into a new love.

“Linger On” pivots toward reflective territory, a vibe. Airier instrumentation creates breathing space after the previous track’s tension. The rhythm relaxes with no loss of cohesion. “Lingering” becomes a metaphor for emotional inertia: “Let me linger on / ‘Till you give me your affection […] I am not in a hurry right now”. The track is not the most immediate song but is essential pacing-wise and deepens the album’s atmosphere.

With “Hourglass”, Balthazar proposes the total opposite to the previous track. Lyrics such as “I cannot lose more time here / I can’t slow down / I do not wanna wait” are omnipresent in the song. Time becomes the main character. Moody verses erupt into a bright chorus carried by falsetto harmonies. The contrast between tension and release is highlighted here. The track is one of the most structurally satisfying songs on the album with emphasizing classic band’s songwriting.

“Passing Through” is quieter than the other tracks. Round and muted bass anchors the track and gives it its slow‑swaying pulse. Keyboard drones and late-arriving strings create a slow-expanding emotional arc. The final minute adds dramatic weight in an almost cinematic moment. Followed by certainly the most explicitly autobiographical-feeling track, “Leaving Antwerp” is continuing the musical trip. The title deals with a breakup in the Belgian city from one member of the band, confessing his feelings on his way back to Ghent. Funk-leaning bass and jazzy sax textures give the song a relaxed elegance. Blend of soul and stripped-back groove respects record’s ambition for one of the album’s warmest moments.

“Halfway” is a transitional track both musically and narratively. Pop-inflected vocals and minimalist instrumentation create a suspended feeling. The melody subtly references classic pop structures while staying modern with efficient phrasing. Short, it prepares the album’s final emotional shift.

“Powerless” – the album closer – brings tinkling piano motifs and jazzy lounge-like textures creating a floating atmosphere. The title is about a love story, and more specifically, the moment when we fall in love. We then realize we become powerless facing what’s happening to us. The repeated idea of losing control – echoing “On A Roll” becomes acceptance rather than defeat. The track is powerful, anthemic by playing on words with a shouted “Power” followed by whispered “Less”.

Sand is not an album that shouts for attention. It’s a record that invites you in slowly, rewards patience, and lingers long after it ends. Balthazar have crafted a world of elegant disarray—music for late nights, dim rooms, and thoughts you can’t quite shake. It’s one of their most cohesive and emotionally resonant works, and a testament to the power of subtlety in an era obsessed with immediacy.

Sand is Balthazar at their most refined and introspective. It’s a record that rewards repeat listens, revealing new textures each time. Perfect for fans of moody, groove-driven indie that balances style with substance. If you’re looking for indie that grooves without grandstanding, that seduces without spectacle, Sand is a rare and beautifully crafted find.

– Losers
– On A Roll
– Linger On
– Hourglass