Audiopile Review: The Milan W. story certainly doesn’t begin here—a long trail of LPs and small format releases under many guises and projects have led to this breakthrough amalgamation of the synth-pop wanderings, bedroom-wave idiosyncrasies and indie-folk dalliances studiously explored beforehand. And Leave Another Day divides itself between these worlds evenly. The pop-forward tracks, which have surely been the draw for most of the folks already enamoured with the album, are spread out among a mixture of woozy instrumentals that touch on homespun kosmiche and industrial-laced exotica, which will surely leave some of you double checking the date on the back of this jacket. 1984 this ain’t. But it’s when he steps up to the mic that’s got us so lightheaded. His stoned croon, flitting somewhere between ineffable longing and morose melodicism, is a dream-like addition to the baroque grandiosity and psych-folk mysticism deployed.  Truth be told, it reminds us a teeny bit of Jack J’s bedroom pop, albeit spun with a wave-y, dour edge that’s rooted in dark Belgian winters rather than the open skies of a PNW summer. If you haven’t already caught wind of this, you may be in for a real surprise. Its the “Re-configuring-your-top-10” kind of good.

***

2nd press, already sold-out at the label. Low-lit, introspective, grey-scale indie from Belgian artist Milan W for Nosedrip’s indispensable Stroom label. Harnessing that tricky to articulate ‘down but not out’ aesthetic that’s so key to the Stroom label, Milan’s beautifully crafted songs seep with a strong feeling of bittersweet heartbreak, sorrow and contemplation. It’s a faultless suite of spindly / spangled indie-pop gems laced with shimmering hooks, warm flourishes of melody and endearingly accented English vocals that’s sure to chip away at even the most stone-hearted. It’s a sound that feels tricky to place, obviously new but could easily sit anywhere within the last 30 years – Milan’s floating yet overcast sound feels very fitting for the perma-gloom of our familiar Manchester skies whilst evoking pensive walks down windswept walks on the Belgian coast. The sound of heartache, redemption and reconciliation, done to perfection. One of the very best for some time. (AllNightFlights)