Balthazar

Belgian outfit Balthazar came together in Kortrijk during 2004 and wove neo-psychedelia, electro-pop, and garage-punk textures into their sharp, hook-driven indie-rock sound. Their sophomore LP, Rats, climbed to the summit of the Belgian charts in 2012.

Formed while the core members were still teenagers, the trio of Maarten Devoldere on lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Jinte Deprez on guitar and vocals, and Patricia Vanneste on violin, keyboards, and vocals captured first prize at a national youth talent contest in 2005 thanks to the song “Lost and Found.” They placed the number on their self-titled debut EP, issued the following year. By that point the group had expanded its touring lineup with bassist Joachim Quartier and drummer Koen Verfaillie; in early 2007 Casier and Christophe Claeys stepped in to replace the rhythm section. The band made its first forays beyond Belgium in 2008, playing dates in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, then ventured to South Africa for a club tour in 2009 before resuming studio work.

Their debut full-length album, Applause, surfaced in March 2010 and registered one week at number 13 on the domestic album chart. Subsequent summer festival slots included Pukkelpop and Rock Werchter, after which the group hit the road supporting the Joy Formidable and dEUS. Produced with mixing assistance from Noah Georgeson, whose credits include the Strokes and Joanna Newsom, the second studio album Rats appeared on Play It Again Sam in 2012, topping the Belgian chart while also entering the French and Dutch listings. The five-piece lineup of Devoldere, Deprez, Vanneste, Casier, and newly installed drummer Michiel Balcaen delivered its third long-player, Thin Walls, in 2015—the band’s first effort helmed by an outside producer, Ben Hillier of Depeche Mode and Blur renown. The record reached number two at home and cracked the Top 20 in the Netherlands.

Vanneste exited after fourteen years in April 2018. The remaining members resurfaced with their fourth album, Fever, released early the next year on PIAS; its title track became the group’s first Belgian chart single, bowing at number 47. Sand followed in 2021, an album preoccupied with restlessness and waiting whose artwork was created by sculptor Margriet Van Breevort.