Blaudzun has named his new album - set to be released on March 7th, 2014 - Promises Of No Mans Land. The Indie-Rock singer surprised friends, fans and followers when he unexpectedly announced the release of his new album and club shows in a Youtube video in early December. The responses were amazing and the first shows - including the release party in Tivoli, Utrecht - were sold out within days. More than two years since his internationally acclaimed album Heavy Flowers (which is set to reach the Gold status in the Netherlands), his fourth album will again be released by V2 Benelux and Glitterhouse Records. Messing around A lot of songs and compositions on Promises Of No Mans Land originated during a long period of touring with his band. Whenever Blaudzun wasnt on stage he used his time to write and to hone the melodies. „I worked out the bulk of the songs in Barcelona, Southern France and Berlin, but I waited until I was in the studio to finish them. I wanted to keep my options open as long as possible, to keep feeling like I could still mess around." Secret In June 2013 Indie-Rock singer Johannes Sigmond, Blaudzuns real name, started recording his new album. Everyone who was involved in one way or another was bound to secrecy. „I wanted to keep it quiet. No blabbing in the pub or tweeting about it,“ Blaudzun says. „I didnt want to have to answer questions from friends, followers or journalists such as How are things going vith your album? or When çan we hear some new songs?. Even some of the musicians involved didnt know what I was doing. Thats how I recorded my debut album in 2007 and I wanted it to be like that again. its like when youre making a good stew: taking the lid off the pot every five minutes to take a whiff wont do the flavour any good." Battlefield Promises Of No Mans Land shows a more dynamic sound than before. Apart from Blaudzuns remarkable and characteristic voice the sound is determined more and more by orotund drums, electric guitars and analogue synths. "lve been looking for a more vitriolic and edgy sound. Angry instead of fragile. Thats what the songs asked for. I see them as modern war cries; the songs you sing either before or after a battle, whether you win or not." Blaudzun spent a lot of time in a studio in Utrecht with recording- and sound engineer Martijn Groeneveld. Musicians would come by separately now and then. Most of them, including his brother Jakob, have shared the stage with him. They never stayed longer than a few days. But like on his previous albums, Sigmond played a lot of the instruments himself. He played synth, bass guitar and this time he even handled the drums. "Not on all of the tracks, though. My drumming is too limited for that. But theyre one of my favourite instruments. I can never keep my hands off them." Gibberish Sigmond spent more than ever time on his lyrics, which were written much later than the music. "That was new to me. I always work with syllables and sounds as I try to come up with words, its a kind of gibberish, like speaking in tongues. Phrases and rhymes emerge from these melodic fragments in an organic way. I used to continue that process until phrases and stores arose, but with the songs on the new album I wanted to hold on to wordless melodies as long as possible. I was able to arrange songs differently because I could keep reason and content separate from the musical process for a long time. Im more and more aware that words can destroy the music, thats why I took my time to come up with the right lyrics. And although this may sound strange, it doesnt mean my Iyrics have become more important than before." Jan Saudek Blaudzun doesnt like to talk much about those lyrics: "Promises Qf No Mans Land is not a concept album with just one theme, its more like a pulled apart triptych in which people who are on the run, loneliness and deceit play an important role. Let the music speak for itself first. The picture on the album cover ties into this. You dont need any other explanation ahead of time." The remarkable picture Sigmond is talking about is by Czech photographer and artist Jan Saudek. In the 1970s Saudek worked as a factory worker in Prague during the Soviet domination. He had to work from his cellar because his photographs often linked erotica to themes such as political corruption, violence and innoçence, and it was important to avoid the attention of the secret police. "lm a fan of his early work, especially. The photo on the cover was taken in 1978 and it works well with the atmosphere I had in mind for the album," according to Blaudzun. Promises Of No Mans Land will be released by V2 Benelux (Benelux & World) and Glitterhouse Records (Germany, Swiss, Austria) on March 7, 2014. 0n that same day the official release show will take place at Tivoli, Utrecht (sold out). Short biography Ever since the release of his debut album in 2008, Johannes Sigmond goes by the name of Blaudzun, naméd after a relatively unknown Danish cyclist from the 70s. His second LP Seadrift Soundmachine was releaed in 2010 and Blaudzun gradually conquered larger venues and festivals (including Lowlands) in the Netherlands. He broke through in the Benelux and beyond with his widely acclaimed third album Heavy Flowers (2012). Heavy Flowers, which was also released in the US, was followed by two successful years of sold out club tours in both the Netherlands and Belgium, playing at festivals in both Europe and the USA including Sziget, SXSW and Lowlands, and winning many awards such as the Dutch Public Broadcasting Award for Best Album of the Year 2012, an Edison for Best Male Artist at the Dutch Edison Awards (Dutch Grammys) and an award for Best Alternative Act at 3FM (Dutch national radio).