Törzs “Menedék” CD

TÖRZS, Hungary’s premier instrumental post-rock band, return with the understated sonic beauty of ‘Menedèk’, their first new music in six years. Loosely translating as ‘Refuge’, ‘Menedèk’ sees the freshly bolstered trio in their element; finding shelter, comfort and joy in the act of creative collaboration whilst the storm of day to day life weathers ever on.

A steadfast and admirable mission statement centred on staying true to themselves in the moment, being open to growth and documenting this process as honestly as possible has led to TÖRZS building a reputation as one of Hungary’s most exciting musical collectives. Three stunning albums of organic and perfectly composed contemplation, as well as the band’s transcendental live shows alongside acts including contemporaries We Lost The Sea, Oh Hiroshima, Föllakzoid and more have placed TÖRZS at the forefront of a post-rock movement that prizes the shared experience of band and listener above all else.

The band’s previous full-length release, 2019’s ‘Tükor’, was recorded live at Aggteleki Cseppkőbarlang, a UNESCO World Heritage protected cave system, 500 metres below the Aggteleki National Park. Embracing the cave’s utterly unique natural reverb almost as a fourth member led to ‘Tükor’ receiving critical acclaim, with TÖRZS were subsequently nominated for the HEMI Music Awards 2022 and invited to perform at the likes of Moscow Music Week (2020), The Budapest Showcase Hub (2021) and 2024’s Changeover Festival in Belgrade, Serbia.

Whilst the intervening years have seen unprecedented change on a global scale, TÖRZS too found themselves in a state of flux. The band returned to the more traditional studio setting in 2023, working alongside long-time producer György Ligeti, in order to faithfully capture the intimate energy of songs meticulously crafted together in their small rehearsal space, a far cry from 2019’s subterranean setting. However, having spent countless hours writing, orchestrating and recording the pieces that have become ‘Menedèk’, the band’s founding drummer Zsombor Lehoczky stepped away from the band and music as a whole. Where this might have been catastrophic for any other band, remaining members Soma Balázs and Dániel Nyitray soon found a connection with Tamás Szijártó, who approached TÖRZS’ music with the same openness to creativity in the moment; not ‘performing’ as such, but simply working together to produce breathtaking, musical escapism away from the daily humdrum.

The album’s themes of shelter, refuge and support resound clearly on lead single ‘Otthon’. Meaning  ‘At Home’ in Hungarian, ‘Otthon’ serves as a de facto introduction to the record. The song’s lilting groove, soaring yet soft guitar palette and the band’s signature delicate dynamism all combine to invite the listener to reflect; not steering one way or another yet inviting us to close our eyes and join the flow.

Elsewhere, the pounding, chiming ‘Levegővétel’ proves TÖRZS are still staying true to their mission statement of documenting the inevitable process of change. Here the band embrace elements of post-rock’s harsher, heavier side with a cacophony of driving half-time drums and distorted, open-chord guitars yet still provide brief havens of space for themselves, the song and the listener alike to breathe before the euphoric swell rises anew.

Whilst TÖRZS’ previous full-length effort was a spectacular collision of the band’s tight-knit existence and the (literal) echo chamber of the world outside, ‘Menedèk’ is introspective, understated and refreshingly brave in its honesty. TÖRZS have opened the doors to their inner sanctum, their rehearsal space, their songwriting process, their friendship; inviting us to live in it with them, to revel in the moment together.

FOR FANS OF

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions In The Sky, This Will Destroy You, Caspian, MONO, Sigur Rós