Fortunately, it is possible to produce something in neofolk other than the endless lamentations about Europe and complacent allusions, as Corpse d’Alsace—the project by German artist Jean Christophe Lon, who is staunchly queer and anti-fascist—has already demonstrated. Active since 2023, the artist has already been prolific, releasing several albums and EPs, including Via Dolorosa, released last year, in which he adopted pleasantly mournful atmospheres, the result of a long process. Following that, Corpse d’Alsace felt the need this year to reinvent himself with something more direct and spontaneous: hence the arrival of the album Lads and Lovers, which Corpse d’Alsace describes as “a gay meltdown in seven songs”.
But here, the cover intrigues us. Whilst the theme of male homosexuality is a common one among neofolk artists, the photograph depicting two men from the Imperial German Navy in the early 20th century—specifically from the battleship Kaiser Karl der Große—introduces an unexpected maritime setting, offering a change from the funereal imagery of Via Dolorosa or the war-torn desolation of the beautiful :Death 23 Death:, which, whilst pleasant, are rather predictable in this genre. We are therefore curious to hear this new release.
It should be noted that, musically speaking, Corpse d'Alsace cannot escape comparisons with Death In June: the acoustic guitar at the forefront, the bittersweet and intimate tone of the tracks, the way electronic sounds or other instruments are placed in the background, and the backing vocals all quickly bring Death In June to mind. Whilst the lineage is clear, Corpse d'Alsace nevertheless knows how to craft its songs with a sensitivity all of its own and even brings to its albums a variety of track types that is sometimes lacking in its English counterpart, not to mention the fact that it does not share the latter’s idiotic political fantasies about the SA. It is this style that we find once again on Lads and Lovers, but with a welcome sense of cohesion; the theme of maritime adventure in the early 20th century is evoked throughout the album with the sounds of the swell and lapping waves, and the use of the accordion and drum.
All of this brings a welcome breath of fresh air to the album. One develops a particular fondness for the trio comprising Sansibar, In the Grotto (Where Sailors Go to Die) and Ships: this is where Lads and Lovers feels at its heaviest and most immersive; the haunting chorus of Sansibar, the spatialisation of the sound on In the Grotto accompanied by its mournful backing vocals, the relentless contemplation of Ships – all of this gives us the impression of facing death on a ship at the other end of the world. Corpse d’Alsace has taken us to unexpected shores with Lads and Lovers; this is a journey we’re thoroughly enjoying!
