Belgian indie band Portland have released their new album ‘Champain’, an unflinchingly honest record born from frontman Jente Pironet’s battle with brain cancer. The diagnosis came just days after the band delivered a triumphant performance at Rock Werchter in 2023, turning what should have been their breakthrough year into a fight for survival. The album chronicles Pironet’s journey from stage to hospital bed to writing desk, revealing a band that has never sounded more energetic, mature, or richly layered.
“I heard you calling me / and you still know my name,” Pironet sings on opener “Time Is Now,” exuding regained self-confidence. “Something’s in the air / I’d like to face it all alone.” The message cuts clear: there’s no time to waste. “Lay Me Down” shows the other side, asking loved ones to catch him when he falls and lay him to rest when he pushes too far. Together, these tracks reveal Portland’s current sound: energetic indie rock built for festivals and big stages, while still honoring the melancholic, introverted pop of predecessor ‘Departures’. Acoustic title track “Champain” nods to Bright Eyes, while hushed piano piece “Aurora” reflects how the promise of safety still unsettles Pironet after years of turmoil. “Her home ain’t where I’ll be,” he sings.
Bob Dylan inspired “Forever,” where Pironet spills everything in one long stream of words, “a story to tell and a weight on my chest.” The album settles into darkness with “Until I Find Some Bigger Fears,” one of the hardest songs Pironet has written, composed during chemotherapy when hope felt unreachable. “And all the time, I wish I could rewind,” he murmurs in the footsteps of Nick Cave and Billy Joel, bearing his soul over piano keys. The album serves as home for old sorrow and starting point for new stories, stinging and festering at times but far more often sparkling and effervescing.