When Van Eeckhout & Dieleman met, they felt an instant connection.

“As a creating artist, it’s these encounters that you pray for,” says Colin. “As soon as you meet someone like that, you know you have to do something together.”

Their connection was deepened as they discovered how much they had in common, from their similar dialects and their strong ties to their homeland, to their leanings towards the spiritual and the melancholic. “My work is all about death and sadness,” says Tonnie. “For me, music started with my mother dying; my first album is about her death. That’s a strong connection with Colin, too, as he lost his father.”

The result is the 9-track Sober Maal (which translates to ‘sober meal’ and refers to the practice of eating a simple meal in order to practice gratitude), which is being released under the moniker DE MANNEN BROEDERS. It was written and recorded in under five days at the 18th century church Doopsgezinde Kerk in Middelburg in the Netherlands, courtesy of LeGuessWho? Festival.

Sonically, Sober Maal is a haunting, droning, emotionally rich journey that feels rooted in a bygone world while still sounding wholly original, and has a melancholy air yet retains a hopeful feel. Colin and Tonnie’s vocals blend with the choir and a pared-back selection of instruments including a banjo, piano, hurdy gurdy and the powerful central organ – all intermingling with the sounds and echoes of the church.

“Religion has a negative connection because it has been a force on people,” Colin says. “Spirituality is something you follow by choice. We like to dive into the ungraspable things in life: it needs to be free to interpret.”

Tracklist:
01. Alle Roem is Uitgesloten
02. Asemruumte
03. Verteere Heel
04. Van Licht Ontdaan
05. Grafschrift
06. Omer III
07. Onze Lieve Vrouwe
08. Ons Nu Voorbij
09. Sober Maal