After a break of almost 8 years, Few Bits — the band centred around frontwoman Karolien Van Ransbeeck — are back with a brand new album: Brick Houses is the follow-up to the eponymous debut album (2013) and 2016’s breakthrough Big Sparks, two records that earned the band support slots for The War On Drugs (twice!) and The Lemonheads on the European legs of their tours. When things settled down, Van Ransbeeck put her career on hold, became a mother and let life slow down.... Until 2023, when she started writing songs again and brought the band back together.

The first sketches for the new album originated in the attic of guitarist Steven Holsbeeks, who contributed as a songwriter for the first time as well, just like fellow guitarist Tim Coenen. In the summer of 2024, the band took to GAM Studios in Waimes (BE), along with engineer Peter Desmedt. And as they had done for their first two albums, Few Bits produced the album themselves, while mixing this time was done by Tobie Speleman, known for his work with blackwave., The Haunted Youth, Dressed Like Boys and BLUAI, to name a few.

Brick Houses has ten tracks: songs about hope, loss and introspection, like colourful reflections on past and present, where imagination and desire meet. Despite the bittersweet undertones, the album sounds anything but gloomy. Opening track Brick Houses is sparkling Indian Summer pop, Future Dives floats on a delightful 80s synth vibe, Nowhere In Love is dreamy guitar pop and the electrifying guitar on Cobblestones hints at Sparklehorse’s epic Rainmaker. Tying everything together is the mellifluous voice of Van Ransbeeck, giving every song a touch of gold and a pinch of Mazzy Star, while the ghosts of Still Corners and Fleetwood Mac are never far away. The first singles of the album — Brick Houses, Future Dives and Cobblestones — certainly did not go unnoticed and even made waves in the US, where the influential KEXP became a fan.

The album’s title refers to the symbolism of brick walls, standing for stability, safety and security. But behind their firmness also lies vulnerability, and the question what freedom and safety really mean. While writing for the new album, Karolien Van Ransbeeck suffered a personal tragedy, when she lost her unborn baby in her six month of pregnancy. This inspired the song 22 Weeks, written in one take, in the middle of the mourning phase. “The words and melody came organically. It reminded me how writing music can have a healing effect. It’s not easy to talk about it, but I hope that the song can give comfort to people who are also dealing with loss.” 

1. Brick Houses
2. Nowhere In Love
3. Future Dives
4. Strongest Girl
5. You Gave Up On Me
6. 22 Weeks
7. Pick Up Yourself
8. Unreal
9. Cobblestones
10. Love No Hate