Golden Hours are today releasing ‘Arctic Desert’, the third and final single to be lifted from the post-punk group’s sophomore album, ‘Beyond Wires’, releasing February 6th 2026 on Fuzz Club.
Based between Berlin and Brussels, Golden Hours are Hákon Aõalsteinsson, Wim Janssens, Tobias Humble and Rodrigo Fuentealba Palavacino – an outfit of seasoned players who between them have performed as part of Gang Of Four, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tricky, The Fuzztones and more. Golden Hours first rumbled out of the shadows in 2023 with their self-titled debut and are now emerging once more with ‘Beyond Wires’.
Arriving following recent singles ‘The Letter’ and ‘Heading For The Moon, Wim Jannsens says of the latest cut: ‘‘Arctic Desert’ leans into our love for French and Italian cinema from the age of lead. The beat and opening guitar pull you in before waves of noise flare up, sounding like the houseband on Anton LaVey’s ritual ceremonies at his Black House in San Francisco. Hakon’s weary croon invites you for a walk to fully disappear into the ice cold desert night.”
‘Beyond Wires’ was knit together in-between the tours and other obligations of its four members, written and recorded in rehearsal rooms in Berlin and an old mansion in Brussels. “The latter definitely put its stamp on the record with its noisy electric static bleeding into every song”, says Wim. But a band like Golden Hours never shies away from these things: they lean into it and welcome those ghostly appearances with open arms and just try to out-fuzz the buzz with layers of noise and strong melodic elements that cut through like a knife.
With two lead singers, Hákon and Wim, taking on an equal amount of titles – divided up by odd and even track numbers, respectively – the album touches on topics widespread but delivered with the unity of Siamese twins sharing the same lungs and vocal range. As for instrumentation, ‘Beyond Wires’ sees the band suitably wired up: two lead guitars (Hakon and Rodrigo) are intertwined and coated in fuzz and noise, embracing the rhythm section (drums Tobias, bass Wim) like an octopus extending its tentacles deep into the listener’s ear. A rhythm section gracefully tight, yet occasionally flaring up like firecrackers randomly thrown at you from close range. Underneath it all lurks another entity moving in and out of the songs, in the shape of percussion, synths, eerie soundscapes and backing vocals, meticulously placed and performed by Wim.
“With the new album, the band is stealthily moving closer to a sonic space that we can call our own”, says Wim. The sum of all the influences gathered in the recording room could easily crush any other band that doesn’t have the mileage under its belt like Golden Hours has – but for all the influences deeply encoded in its DNA, the band is able to add their flavor time and time again.
‘Beyond Wires’ is the sound of four people gathering in a Berlin rehearsal room, punching holes in a wall and picking up the fallen bits to create something new over the course of a few days. Not easily distracted or outgunned in the game of trial and error that is still their favorite tool in the creative process, Golden Hours seems to swear by the simplest of rules: “A light shakin’ of the head to the left and right will kill a weak idea in a heartbeat, when no-one says anything the idea is likely accepted. You’ve got to keep the roads clear, to let all the good stuff pass through. You can throw up road blocks in your own time.”
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