Amsterdam quartet Loupe makes a triumphant return with the beautiful, emotive and truly affecting new single ‘Tested Waters’. If you’re a fan of Daughter you need to listen to this now.
The first release to feature the bands new singer Nina Ouattara, ‘Tested Waters’ not only continues to display the bands ability to craft spellbinding, beautifully crafted indie instrumentation but also showcases Nina’s soaring, silky smooth and brilliantly emotional vocal abilities.
Capturing the same intertwining blend of picked guitar and bass melodies, the track instantly captures a similar feel and intimacy to Radioheads Weird Fishes topped with the more commercial melodies that make the bands music so accessible. As the rack grows it bursts elegantly into it’s sumptuous and outrageously catchy chorus, the vocals rise into a higher register as the soundscape grows to a spine-tingling glow.
Speaking a bout the track, the band explain: “‘It started with a door slammed’ Nina’s opening lyric in ‘Tested Waters’ is one of the kind that instantly grabs you, and takes you along with her in her story. From the viewpoint of teenage Nina, the song tells us about a relationship where two people keep pushing each other’s limits to extremes.
The verse is built on a melancholic bass guitar melody, as only Lana can write so beautifully. The dark, brooding lyrics in the chorus get some counterweight from the catchy, memorable vocal hook and the loose, syncopated groove in the rhythm section. With “Tested Waters” Loupe have reinvented themself in a way that sounds more determined and powerful than ever.”
Having gained a whole host of international press and radio support through 2022, Loupe’s highlight saw them appear on a billboard in Times Square, New York as the cover of Spotify’s ‘Equal’ playlist. Now back with a single, arguably their best work to date, the band continue to build momentum as they rapidly approach their upcoming UK tour dates.
A stunning, compelling track that deserves repeat listens.
Listen to Loupe’s new single below:
