Jan Verstraeten - “Tropical View”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 3

Pairs Well With…Mother Falcon, The Family Crest, Andrew Bird

Orchestral chamber folk artist Jan Verstaeten forgoes acoustic guitars for string and horn sections, offering full compositions around his moody indie rock songs. These aren’t just instrumental flourishes, rather Verstraeten puts together complex movements as the heart of his songs, not just accompaniment. The Belgian artist released his debut EP Cheap Dreams last year and followed by cinematic singles “Milky Way” and “Tropical View”, evolving from the droning passion of “Moon Face” through jazzy crooner “You” to the aforementioned “Tropical View”, a track that moves from bouncy verses to a lush and powerful coda. Verstraeten’s songwriting is melancholy and emotional at its heart, often composing in minor forms with tiny moments of hope interspersed throughout. It’ll be exciting to see how big this gets live - hopefully Verstraeten is booked for a church gig to fully capture his detailed, orchestral performance. (Kevin McStravick)