Even voorstellen – Amongster – new album ‘Told in motion’
AMONGSTER Releases New Album "Told In Motion"

Release show 2 October @ Trefpunt, Gent
Told in motion

Amongster releases its third studio album called 'Told In Motion', via V2 Records. Being grand with intimate music—it's what defines Thomas Oosterlynck, the heart and driving force behind Amongster. On his third album, the Ghent-based artist weaves philosophical reflections on self-development and societal issues into beautifully melancholic indie pop and electronica. 

Had Oosterlynck not become a father for the second time last year, the album would have been here much sooner. "But it was a tough year, with little sleep. That last half-year, I put everything on hold." Gradually, he picked up the thread again with close friend and producer Brecht Plasschaert. "No pressure—just recording at his place. We won't work for days on end, sometimes half a day, sometimes a whole day, seeing what works. That's the best way for me."

It was a stark contrast to the pressure following Amongster's breakthrough in 2014, when he won De Nieuwe Lichting. "Suddenly, you have to do so much: perform, release singles, make an album—it's part of the deal, I get that. But over the years, I realized that that kind of pressure and pursuit of recognition doesn't fulfill me. Look, I studied business engineering. If you know me, it's funny how far that is from who I really am. It took me a long time to figure out what truly matters to me."

And that's not being another small cog in a big machine—something he expresses in the first single Breadcrumbs—but rather seeking meaningful experiences and translating them into music on a human scale. Stories and experiences are told in motion: they unfold as we actively engage with life rather than passively observe. They aren't just told—they are lived and felt.

Self-reflection runs deep throughout the album, touching on how we are shaped by our upbringing (Nine) and by the expectations we impose on ourselves as a society (Wash The Dust). But Oosterlynck also acknowledges that life inevitably falls into patterns (To Have Lived I Was Born), an idea sparked by an old interview with writer Charles Bukowski. At times, the lyrics take a more abstract, cryptic form, with music dictating the structure—as in Look At Me As A Game, where rhythm and sound become as important as the words themselves. For Oosterlynck, not everything in life needs to be explained. "I think it's important to recognize that there are many things we don't understand, things that can't be explained through science alone. I want to defend the intuitive, the non-rational."

What initially started as a collection of singles and later an EP, eventually evolved into a full album—one that leans more toward the synths and drum machines of Trust Yourself To The Water (2016) than the guitars of A New Arrival (2019). But don't look for a deliberate strategy. "This is just Amongster. I've always worked like this—writing and recording simultaneously, shaping the sound as I feel it should be in the moment. It doesn't all have to blend seamlessly, it doesn't all have to fit one style." His influences remain unchanged: Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine, Dan Mangan ("also with that grit in his voice"), and above all, Thom Yorke and Radiohead. "In Rainbows is my favorite album. My guitar parts, especially the arpeggios, definitely trace back to that."

Live, Amongster has taken a different path in recent years—a shift that began after A New Arrival. The classic five-piece setup no longer worked for him; he wanted a more intimate, stripped-down approach. Only drummer Robbe Vekeman remained, joined by vocalist Flo Delameilleure, who also plays guitar and bass. "I find it more powerful when we play acoustically, allowing more space for the song and the lyrics themselves. I used to focus a lot on making things sound like the record. Letting go of that has been incredibly freeing—if something doesn't work live, we simply don't play it."