Loupe - Oh, To Be Home (2025)

After a successful international tour and festival run, Amsterdam-based indie rock band Loupe releases their long-awaited new album, "Oh, to be home." Unlike the typical follow-up to their debut, "Do You Ever Wonder What Comes Next?", this album represents a musical challenge for the band in that it was recorded entirely in one take, without any overdubs, edits, or studio tricks.

The live sessions took place in front of a live audience at De Zonzij (Tolhuistuin) in Amsterdam on December 22nd and 23rd, 2024. The band deliberately chose spontaneity, musical precision, and the unique interplay between band and listener, stating, "By playing everything together and capturing it immediately, we pushed ourselves to compose, arrange, and perform with more intention." The album's lyrics focus on the personal story of singer Nina Ouattara, who grew up between Côte d'Ivoire, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and touch on themes of memory, identity, family, and the search for a place between cultures. Guest musicians included longtime producer Arne van Petegem, and the entire performance was recorded by Frans Hagenaars and his mobile studio.