Blankenberge are a band I have followed maybe not technically from the start but from the first album for sure. Formed in St Petersburg with Daniil Levshin (guitars and synths), Dmitriy Marakov (bass), Sergey Vorontsov (drums) and of course Yana Guselnikova (vocals) .
When Radiogaze landed, it felt like a revelation: a swirl of noise and melody that seemed to hover just out of reach. Guitars like rolling fog, and Guselnikova’s voice, soft yet strong, cutting through the haze. It wasn’t trying to impress; it just enveloped you. The beauty lay in that balance between distance and intimacy. Their second album More in 2019 felt bigger, more direct. The haze remained, but songs like ‘Right Now’ and ‘Look Around’ had hooks you could grab hold of. It was a record about emergence, about stepping forward while keeping the shimmer. It made them stand out among their peers, adding urgency without losing what made them special.
Then came Everything in 2021. A heavier, darker listen. The guitars weighed more, the drums struck harder, and the mood felt more reflective. It was as if the band were processing the world’s unease alongside their own. It was the sound of a gaze band wrestling with gravity.
Which brings us to Decisions. This record feels neither a reaction nor a departure. It feels like an acceptance. A band no longer asking what they should be, but simply being. Eight tracks that breathe, reflect and sometimes ache.
Let’s drop the needle and see where it takes us.
‘Now You Know’ opens quietly confident. It takes us a full minute before the guitar textures evolve and bloom into the song proper. Guitars shimmer like light caught on water, the bass warm and steady. Yana’s voice feels closer, almost as if she’s speaking rather than singing. It’s intimate without being fragile. A song about shared truths, perhaps, or moments of clarity that land softly rather than crashing in. It feels like the band have found the “epic” knob on their amps and turned it up to eleven. Blankenberge are back baby!!!
Up next is single ‘New Rules’. It opens with Marakov’s surefooted bass line circling gently, almost hesitant. Yana Guselnikova’s voice enters softly, clear but distant, carrying words that hint at distance rather than closeness. Guitars are very light touch until they need to erupt, and erupt they do with a new texture we haven’t heard thus far. Listening closely, you can hear echoes of Slowdive’s quieter moments, or the delicate weight of Cocteau Twins. But Blankenberge sound less like they’re chasing the past and more like they’re speaking from it. Their music has always felt oceanic, and this track feels like standing on the shoreline, watching something slip under the waves.
Following that ‘Too Many Voices’ really stands out. For me this feels like a song built from a career spanning toolkit of sound. A slow build, guitars layering a hook that they will return to again and again over a steady pulse. It carries both warmth and melancholy. The title hints at overwhelm, of struggling to hear your own thoughts. But it doesn’t feel defeated. Instead, it feels like acknowledgement, an acceptance that the noise is part of living. That acceptance is reflected in the euphoria of it’s second half. This is a song that goes for the feels and sticks the landing. Undoubtedly my stand out track.
‘Our Home Our Planet’ opens with a guitar line that circles back on itself, almost like a question repeated. The band have always felt connected to wider concerns, and this track feels both personal and shared. It’s neither protest nor lament. It’s a gentle reflection on belonging, on what it means to care for something bigger than yourself. Gently paced, balancing the epic with the sublime it’s a real treat for the ears.
‘Together’ opens with the contradictory sounds of fuzzed out bass, glow in the dark guitar and almost Motown drums. It’s a curious blend, warm, immediate and surprisingly tender. There’s a looseness in the rhythm that feels almost like a live take, as if the band wanted to preserve the feel of the room. Blankenberge have always had a gift for finding emotion in textures, but here they do it through restraint. The guitars drift upward in soft waves, never dominant, more like gentle suggestions than statements. There’s no urgency in how the song moves. It walks, not runs. Yana’s voice carries through the haze like a memory. Not reaching for resolution. Just letting the moment unfold.
That subtle pace continues into ‘Escape’ but the drums really step forward to frame the various sections of this song. I think this is as close to a pure pop song as we’ll get from Blankenberge. There’s structure here, clear rises and falls, and a forward motion that never feels hurried. The beat pulls everything along, guiding the song without overpowering it. What makes it feel pop, though, isn’t just the shape of the song. It’s the clarity. The vocals are more direct. The guitars still shimmer, but they’re used with more precision. Each phrase lands with intention. It’s still wrapped in their signature haze, but there’s a lightness that makes this track feel immediate.
‘There Was a Time’ slows things down again. Part tone poem, part ballad, it is designed for you to lay back, eyes closed and just let it wash over you. There’s no urgency here, no need to arrive anywhere. It’s a song that trusts the listener to stay still. The opening is sparse. A single guitar line drifts like a distant signal, not quite resolved. The space between notes becomes as important as the notes themselves. It’s a lesson in restraint. The bass and drums barely rise above a whisper. The whole thing sounds like it’s being remembered more than performed. As the song moves forward, subtle layers creep in reverb trails, background harmonies, the faintest swell in the mix. But it never tips over into drama. It stays grounded in that low light feeling. It holds its emotional centre right through to the last note.
‘Waiting for the Sun’ closes the record gently. It starts sparse, guitars like distant echoes, then gradually fills out. Instead of the super saturated crescendo we’re expecting, Blankenberge choose a gentler path. No walls of distortion. No final burst of noise. Just a slow and deliberate fade into stillness. The first few bars barely register as melody. They feel like the beginning of a thought, not yet formed. Yana’s vocals drift in as if carried on a breeze, unhurried, untethered. She sings as if the words might disappear as soon as they’re spoken. What’s remarkable here is how much feeling the band get out of doing so little. The chords are simple, the structure minimal, but the weight of the track builds quietly in the background. It grows not in volume, but in presence. There’s a subtle shift midway through, a deepening of tone, a thickening of the air and suddenly you realise how far you’ve travelled without noticing. There’s a quiet bravery in choosing to end this way. No fireworks. No swelling strings. Just a slow dissolve. The track fades as if it’s still going somewhere without us. As if the album hasn’t really ended, but simply stepped into another room.
Across Decisions, what stands out is the trust the band have in their sound. They aren’t racing toward the crescendo anymore. They’re letting songs arrive where they arrive, without pushing. The production feels warmer, closer, as if inviting us in rather than keeping us at arm’s length. It still sounds unmistakably like Blankenberge: lush guitars, airy vocals, a rhythm section that holds everything together. But there’s more space here, more patience. They’re not chasing the song’s peak; they’re exploring its valleys too. It feels deeply personal, yet widely relatable. The record asks quiet questions rather than shouting answers. Blankenberge have crafted something that feels both fragile and steady, grounded yet still willing to drift. It’s music that doesn’t demand attention but rewards it deeply. And in times when everything urges us to speak louder, Decisions gently reminds us to listen.
Decisions is out now via Automatic Music, Vinyl has long sold out on pre order but if you’re quick you can still grab a CD. Give the band a follow over on the Blankenberge Bandcamp Page.
You can follow Blankenberge on social media here…
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