Dutch-native Christof van der ven, known artistically simply by his forename, gears up for the release of his fifth EP, Montreal, with lead single “You Left It Too Long.”
Travelling first to Galway where the original plan of staying for a few months somehow extended to four years, the singer-songwriter and producer has since relocated again, this time to London. Van der ven has blossomed from the once-shy busker who hid himself away in a side alley to the man that commands attention with this latest offering.
“You Left It Too Long” sits firmly in the hugely popular contemporary folk ball park and, for the most part, sticks to the tried and tested formula of the classic slow build. A tentative instrumental beginning in which van der ven’s vocals quickly join to add another layer suddenly switches from comfortable and calm to sublimely uplifting and anthemic as we get our first taste of the chorus. A sonic rollercoaster of both rich instrumentation and dynamics, “You Left It Too Long” doesn’t dwell on one section for very long and it’s this continuing switch between melancholy hush and lavish fanfares that make the track stand out so much for me.
Christof’s Montreal EP is released on May 27th but “You Left It Too Long” is available now as a free download with the purchase of a ticket to his headline show at London’s The Victoria on the 25th.
