Den Der Hale to Release Larking About March 27
The soundscapes are getting darker and weirder for Den Der Hale, whose upcoming four-song LP, Larking About — the dirgey title-track opens — is out March 27 on vinyl through Sound Effect Records. There’s nothing streaming from it yet, but I’ve got the record on as I’m writing and you can hear both the organic root instruments they’re using — it gives the procession its folkish sound — and the overarching ethereal drone that emerges from the congregation of the whole. “Larking About” gets pretty and waveformy in its second half to set up the dark-jazz-fog-into-blinding-sci-fi-clarion-but-also-how-is-this-not-horrifying-black-metal “Silphium,” which is vicious and feels challenging in its abrasion.
Subsequent to these, side B enacts something of a march in “Where My Flesh Cannot Be Torn,” getting there on a bed of cinematic horn-ish sounds and intertwining maybe-voices. It’s obscure in everything but the rhythm, which is willfully primitive, giving the half-whispers an urgency in spite of their seeming soothingness. The closing “Under Jord” doesn’t feel so movement-based, but its drone is hypnotic and becomes a build unto itself behind and then in front of the vague, echoing vocals. When they talk about tension or anticipation, they’re right. It turns out that’s what makes it heavy.
The PR wire has album info and live dates, which I cut and pasted from Bandcamp:
DEN DER HALE – Larking About: OUT Mar-27th, 2026, via Sound Effect Records
(Self Released/ Black Vinyl & Limited Oxblood Red Vinyl)
Our third album, Larking About, is an exploration of more eclectic soundscapes than has been presented before. As we have went through line-up changes, we have eschewed the traditional sound of drums, guitars, and bass. Instead, we have built these songs from tape loops, resampling, and acoustic instruments, resulting in a greater focus on recording technique and panning. The majority of the songs on the album have been processed during the past year and a half, serving as an experimental and ambient counterpart to the songs we usually perform live. The result, we feel, is an album that thrives on anticipation and tension.
The entirety of the album was recorded and mixed in our studio in Malmö. In contrast to our previous releases, this album was stem-mastered and transferred to 24-track tape reel by the very adept mastering engineer Joakim Lindberg of Studio Sickan. This process was extremely helpful in providing us an extra set of ears and attention to the soundscape of the individual tracks as well as the overall sound of the album.
The album will be pressed to vinyl and released on Sound Effect Records.
Tracklisting:
1. Larking About
2. Silphium
3. Where My Flesh Cannot Be Torn
4. Under Jord
This spring, we will be touring Europe with some of the songs from this album while also finishing the writing process for another album we aim to finish later this year.
Live:
Apr 15 VERA Groningen, Netherlands
Apr 18 Weltkunstzimmer Düsseldorf, Germany
Apr 19 KuBa Jena Jena, Germany
https://denderhale.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/den.der.hale/
https://www.facebook.com/denderhaleband/
https://www.soundeffect-records.gr/
https://soundeffectrecords.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/SoundEffectRecords
