Hailing from the Netherlands, five-piece prog outfit Lesoir have been quietly (and not so quietly) making a significant mark. From their self-released debut, Mosaic the band have built a steady following, their reputation burnished no end by the 20-minute, 20-second epic Babel which emerged in 2020 (and which is included in the deluxe vinyl edition as a bonus track). The band returned to the studio in 2022, joining forces with John Cornfield (Muse, Kashmir) to record Push Back The Horizon, another elegiac offering from the band, this time released in collaboration with V2 Records (Skunk Anansie, Moby).
The album opens with the enigmatic title track, which takes Tool as its starting point, before adding in elements of Stream of Passion, Vola, and Von Hertzen Brothers. The result is a bright, airy piece, packed with melody and brightly focused vocal harmonies that soar between the writhing riffs. It provides the album with a strong start, luring the listener in and then slinking off into the left field with a full on flute – guitar dual. It’s followed by the up-tempo, yet melancholy Under The Stars – an expansive piece that recalls latter-day Anathema, the rich vocal harmonies once again taking centre stage. In contrast, Fireflies is an instrumental showcase, the dizzying riffs echoing the flight patterns of the titular creatures. It’s a decent enough song, but it occasionally feels held back by the production, with the guitars not quite cutting through with the force the arrangement suggests. Better is the dynamic You Are The World which plays to the band’s strengths – lighter touch arrangements and subtly atmospheric instrumental passages leading to a soaring vocal conclusion. Something of a highlight, the remarkable The Drawer Of The Chest In The Corner Is Empty, sees Lesoir take elements of trip hop, huge slabs of Pink Floyd, and hints of the dark indie that defined bands like the Delgados, to create something truly and utterly wonderful. A standout moment, it’s only slightly let down by an awkward fade, where it would have been better to segue directly into its successor.
Something rather different, the lengthy instrumental, Aeon, opens on a light-touch Peter Gabriel note circa UP, before heading into harder-edged territory. The band wear it well, weaving their sound around the listener with deft skill, and it proves surprisingly engaging over the course of its six-minute runtime. The ever-changing Lesoir then opt for a calmer, more melancholy tone on Nadi, all haunting vocals and slow-motion solos that bleed across the tracks. It’s followed by the most surprising moment yet. Titled What Do You Want From Me, it pairs Tool with Skunk Anansie to deliver the album’s hardest cut. Short and sharp, it takes the listener by surprise, before dissipating to leave As Long As Your Girls Smile in its wake. A simpler song, it feels a little lacklustre after the blazing intensity of its forebear, while the leads take an unexpected Slash turn that feel out of place in the context. The album concludes with one last moment of haunting beauty – the expansive Why I Stand Here Now – which offers up some of the album’s most sublime lead work.
A varied and eclectic work, Push Back The Horizon will help to propel Lesoir to the next level, and it frequently plays to their strengths. It would, however, benefit from tighter editing and sequencing, with As Long As Your Girls Smile in particular standing out, thanks both to its placement and somewhat incongruous lead style. Were the album a touch shorter and a touch sharper in production terms, it could be their standout effort. As it is, it’s an impressive body of work, with some truly excellent tracks, and well worth exploring. 8/10
