Photo by Clasine Haringsma
Ever since releasing debut LP On Claws (2010), Thijs Kuijken, the pivotal force behind Utrecht alt-folk/slowcore formation I Am Oak, has been an artist who opts to explore rather than reveal. That particular mindset is beautifully reflected in his music: always adrift in reverie, modestly surrendering to the moment, as his honeyed voice pleasantly rests between sound and poetry. I Am Oak is and always remains instantly recognizable in all its elusiveness and vividness. —Jasper Willems