If Balthazar’s singer and multi-instrumentalist Maarten Devoldere is hoping to make a big splash with his debut record as Warhaus, he’s done so already on the basis of its title alone: We Fucked a Flame into Being, which comes from D.L. Lawrence’s famous erotic novel Lady Chatterly’s Lover. Though the album’s title takes from English literature, Warhaus’ music is of a decidedly American-European feel, particularly in its noir influences. The first five tracks on We Fucked a Flame into Being exude cigarette smoke, aromas of whiskey, and a palpable sense of intrigue. One can easily place Warhaus in the storied legacy of Dashiell Hammett and Jean-Pierre Melville: all purveyors in shadow-drenched art.
PopMatters now gives you a chance to go behind the scenes of We Fucked a Flame into Being. Right away, it becomes apparent that Devoldere didn’t take the simplest approach in making this record. This making-of documentary, titled “I’m Not Him” (also the name of a song on the LP), opens with Devoldere taking a boat under a bridge, testing the acoustics of the space under the bridge, and then recording trumpet sounds in the echoey space. Things only get more interesting from there.
We Fucked a Flame into Being is out now via Play It Again Sam and [PIAS]. Watch the band perform three songs from the album at the Netherlands’ 3voor12 Radio: