FAR HORIZONS AND PANORAMIC AMBITIONS

Dutch five-piece Lesoir have been steadily gathering momentum over the last 15 years, and they hope to build on that with their latest release, Push Back The Horizon. Vocalist/ instrumentalist Maartje Meessen and guitarist Ingo Dassen discuss the creation of their sixth album, working with Muse's production team, and their dream of bringing their intricate music to new audiences.

- Gary Mackenzie

Developing their particular combination of melodic art-rock, pop-infused prog and metallic heft since 2010, Dutch five-piece Lesoir are deep into a slow-build campaign to promote their sixth album, Push Back The Horizon. When Prog catches up with main composer and guitarist Ingo Dassen and lyricist, lead vocalist, flutist and pianist Maartje Meessen in their hometown of Maastricht, it’s the eve of a couple of live shows in the UK.

“Busy… very busy,” says Dassen with a sigh. “Last-minute stuff to do, arranging the band, the backline, doing all the paperwork so they allow us to cross the border!” he says laughing.

The last couple of years have appeared relatively quiet for the band, apart from the odd live show, and dates with Riverside that continued a connection established in 2019, when Lesoir were at a tipping point and even considering splitting up.

“After [that tour], we knew for sure that we were going to make a new album. They really inspired us for the [2020] album Mosaic, not only musically but also in their perseverance. We have a lot of respect for Riverside and what they have achieved. It’s a privilege and a compliment that we got to join them again last year. Besides this, they are just beautiful people you like to be around,” says Meessen.

However, much has been happening behind the scenes since Mosiac and the impulse to create the 20-minute epic Babel during the Covid lockdown.

Dassen explains: “After we released