WIDE AWAKE. (HAEVN)

The needle drops, Beginners starts. That is already a small discovery with Wide Awake: those familiar with the original digital version expect this song only at the end. On vinyl, HAEVN opens with it. A song about starting over opens the door here to an album in which growing up also means daring to look at previous experiences differently.

Do you want to discover the order of the LP for yourself? Check out Wide Awake by HAEVN on vinyl at SJELF.

SIX YEARS AFTER EYES CLOSED.

In 2018, Eyes Closed introduced the world of HAEVN: the collaboration between singer and songwriter Marijn van der Meer and film composer Jorrit Kleijnen. The second full-length studio album was released on October 11, 2024. The title Wide Awake seems like an answer to that first record. First closing the eyes, then being awake. You can read a movement from dreaming away to more conscious perception in that, although the music remains recognizable within the same family.

Piano, strings, guitars, drums, and electronics color the album. In his review for Orange Flag Music, William primarily heard the care with which those components had been brought together. He found the successor even more convincing than the debut. That continuity is part of the story: HAEVN continues with a sound in which listeners already recognize the group, and seeks other nuances within it.

THE SONG STARTS SMALL.

In a conversation with 15 Questions, Van der Meer and Kleijnen describe how a song can start with a simple voice memo or just piano and vocals. First, they search for the emotional core; the precise words often follow the music. A melody can therefore reveal something before the lyrics make clear where that feeling comes from.

When developing, they want to maintain the character of the performance. Not every uneven edge needs to disappear. At the same time, production is very important at HAEVN: every instrument must be given its place. That creates an interesting tension. The songs are carefully ordered but must not completely lose the original moment from which they emerged.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE LAYERS.

Tim Bran contributed to the production. The official track credits show that Jorrit Kleijnen himself also had a major production role. Stijn Hosman is also mentioned on several songs, including Promise and Ever Know. For Ma Mère et Moi, Kleijnen and Hosman are listed together as producers and mixers. One name on the front of a project rarely tells the whole studio story.

Tom Gelissen handled the mix on many songs; Martin Sheer is listed for the mastering. Such credits help connect the finished sound to concrete people. Behind the impression of naturalness lie decisions about balance, space, and emphasis. The album gains its coherence because those choices consistently serve the same musical world.

BEGINNERS AS THE FIRST STEP.

Beginners was already available as a single in August 2024. Ivo Terpstra wrote on Nieuweplaat about a piano ballad in which the fragility of Van der Meer's voice is central. Such an opening immediately makes the relationship between voice and accompaniment clear. You enter the album with a person and a melody; the larger environment can unfold around that.

The choice to put precisely this song at the front of the LP also works on the level of the title. Starting becomes an action that the listener performs themselves. On the original digital release, the same song is the finale. Then, the thought of a new start sounds like something you take with you after the album. The music remains the same; the placement changes its meaning.

WHAT RETURNS IN ONE DAY.

For One Day, Van der Meer spoke to Kulturnews about a three-year period of illness when he was in his early twenties. The subject presented itself during the writing process, from the first chords. So, there did not have to be a pre-conceived autobiographical plan. Music brought back an experience that still required something from him.

Gave It All also touches on a different way of dealing with yourself. In the same interview, Kleijnen described the courage needed to acknowledge that you gave everything and it still wasn't enough. On the LP, the song has a fixed spot on side A. It is a subject that goes beyond a simple call to try harder: sometimes change begins with honestly looking at your own boundaries.

TWO VOICES, SECOND CHANCES.

Lily Meola sings along on Till the Morning. HAEVN explained to 15 Questions that the song is about giving lovers another chance. The duet makes that subject musically tangible: alongside the familiar voice of Van der Meer, a second person appears in the story. Connection thus literally receives more than one sound.

In Rockportaal, Jordy Weustenraad pointed to the details behind the seemingly simple accompaniment of this song. That is a good reason to shift your focus during a subsequent listen. Follow the vocals first, then focus on the background. What sounds calm can consist of many small movements.

GREAT MOTHER AND A RETURNING GUEST.

Neco Novellas, originally from Mozambique, brings a different voice to Great Mother. He and HAEVN had previously collaborated on Trade It for the Night. In Smalltalk Entertainment, Kleijnen said that the experience was so enjoyable that they wanted to write a new song together. The collaboration grew from an existing musical contact.

In that same conversation, Kleijnen described HAEVN as a project that can always admit other people and influences around the two core members. The guest contributions on Wide Awake fit that approach. They broaden what the group can tell and how it sounds. The recognizable sound forms an environment in which someone else is also given space.

A SHORT DETOUR ON SIDE B.

Ma Mère et Moi lasts less than two minutes. The instrumental interlude is on vinyl between Hold On to Your Love and Great Mother. Precisely in a series of songs with a clear vocal line, such a passage stands out. For a moment, there is no new text to follow. Because of that, you can notice how much story an arrangement without words can carry.

For Hold On to Your Love, Weustenraad emphasized the high vocal notes and the collective discharge of the instruments. Further down on the same side of the record is Promise. Robbe Rooms described that single in Dansende Beren as a gradual build-up with beats and strings. He found that development well-crafted but predictable. That hits exactly on a question that runs through the reception of this album: how much surprise do you expect within a familiar atmosphere?

CALM CAN ALSO DIVIDE.

Where Rockportaal appreciated the inventiveness and musical details, Randy Timmers reacted much more critically in OOR to the polished sound. He missed friction in the carefully constructed dream pop. That difference does not have to be smoothed over. It shows that the same composure is inviting for one listener and yields too little tension for another.

Those who discover this album can take that question with them. Does the careful finishing give you space to turn inward, or do you want music to throw you off balance? Wide Awake makes a clear choice in atmosphere. The value of that ultimately arises during listening.

EYES IN THE DARK.

On the cover, peacock feathers form a circle against an almost black background. Green, blue, and orange light up around a dark center. The eye shapes in the feathers visually match a title about being awake. At the same time, there remains much emptiness around it. You can read the image as a concentration of details within a calm outer edge; that is an interpretation of the artwork, not a fixed explanation from the makers.

The official HAEVN album store shows the different layouts. On vinyl, there are ten songs, divided over two sides; Gave It All and New Year's Resolution are missing from the first digital release with eight tracks. The CD also has a different order than the LP. Therefore, the vinyl tracklist is shown below. It allows the album to start with Beginners and end with New Year's Resolution: starting over at both ends of the record.