Wanheda – Dusty Trails

Wanheda returns from November 22 with their second EP Dusty Trails. After their debut EP from 2018, they opened the legendary Dunk! festival of 2019 and that performance provided a lot of recognition for the band from Leuven. With the release of the full-length Desert Of Real in 2022, they became one of Belgium's best post-rock acts to watch. Dusty Trails is the confirmation of that and strengthens the status of the band in the scene.

Although Dusty Trails expresses its western concept in the cover art, compared to Desert Of Real this EP is less conceptual. "With this EP we wanted to go back to basics, so that the listener can create his own interpretation of the songs," explains guitarist Jan Boucké about the creation of Dusty Trails.
On Dusty Trails, the Leuven sextet takes it a bit easier with the instrumentation, while slightly increasing the complexity of their craft. There are moments when the members’ past in metalcore band Balances subtly shines through, such as the seething heavy middle section of “Beneath the Vulture's Gaze” or the subdued breakdown that supports Jan Verduyckt’s guitar solo on “In the Footsteps of the Nameless”. Second track “Grit and Glory” combines syncopated drum patterns with vintage surf-inspired guitars, while “Gold Fever Dreams” sees the band explore a sonic expanse akin to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Tangled Thoughts of Leaving.

Due to the variety of styles, Wanheda’s Dusty Trails is a very enjoyable record to listen to. The compositions are carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, without losing sight of the bigger picture. It doesn't matter whether it's the Western-infused opening track Beneath The Vulture's Gaze (including trumpet), the Ennio Morricone cover Lady Caliph: Nocturne halfway through, or the closing track The Solar Apex.