_{Text: Arjen Bloem}

Five years after releasing Exhale, the four-piece formation Intergalactic Lovers is launching a new album. With Liquid Love, the Belgian synthpop band rewards the delay. The fourteen track album goes from warm up-tempo rhythms to attractive, sometimes even sweet, swells with an urgent undertone. Above all, it forms the familiar, soulful sound without being boring.

Opening track ‘The Heart Beaten Beats’ has a certain mystery about it. More than enough to arouse the curiosity to listen to the whole album. The smokescreen of the opening track is dispelled by love song ‘Bobbi’. With this, the band gives a clear message pretty soon. What is striking is that the band discusses a lot about people’s behaviour and the meaning of life. 

Central values such as love and fear have their place. As a kind of reflection on reality, enveloped by pop synths, metronomes and rich arrangements, the mystic voice of Lara Chedraoui sings the praises. Themes that have become especially clear during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is hard to put into words. In the bilingual ‘La Folie’ (madness), this comes into its own. Cette vie c’est la folie’ (This life is madness). But also on ‘Waves of Desperation’ ”Shellshocked heart is frozen mortified of moving, panic is booming” and ‘Rise’ ”Take your time to heal and hurt and leave your past behind” in which a somewhat sweet melody is wrapped around a frank message.

In that sense, the title of the album Liquid Love is a fitting choice. The album is comprehensive and anything but monotonous. Love is a concept that goes beyond mere well-being, it is also a form of suffering. That idea is carefully developed, which makes for good listening. With Liquid Love, the band quietly continues on the path of the mantra: do not stray from your course. And that is a good thing, because this multitude shows the maturity of one of the most mysterious synthpop bands from Belgium. Chapeau! 

Mattan Records