First Glances – Whispering Sons
Whispering Sons are a Brussels-based post-punk outfit whose work is tinged with angst and isolation. Much like Eagulls, the music borders upon old-school gothic without spilling over into full on, campy Goth. Chiming guitar flourishes here and there bring to mind the late John McGeoch, (Banshees, PIL) and even early Cocteaus Robin Guthrie. Rather than doom-laden scales, Whispering Sons are tapping into that, pre-Raphaelite sound creating a dreamy atmosphere.
Perhaps most striking are the vocals of Fenne Kuppens. Hers is a deep, powerful feline growl. If you think of Nico or Jayne Casey (Pink Industry) you aren’t a million miles away. Yet Kuppens is her own person and certainly gives Whispering Sons their UPS.
Lyrically the band deal in alienation, distance and inertia. Just looking at the titles of the tracks on their debut album Image is enough to give an overview of the bands subject matter of choice. ‘Hollow’, ‘Alone’, ‘Waste’, ‘Stalemate’…. You get the picture. The band themselves say that Image “is a motionless state in which observations overshadow actions. It reflects the artificiality of things yet still desperately clings on to ideals and obsessions” It is classic introversion. Imaginative, dreamy and inward looking.
Whispering Sons won Belgium’s prestigious Rock Rally in 2016, the same national contest that launched the career of dEUS. Since then they have released a couple of singles and an EP Endless Party. They have been touring quite extensively in Europe developing a reputation for their animated performances.
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