Van Houten face introspective malaise on breezy new track "Diamond In My Hand"

Built around songwriter Louis Sadler’s murmuring vocals, “Diamond In My Hand” has an all-encompassing atmosphere. Whining melodies shimmer and reverberate over the flicker of the beat, offering a rich, sonic introspection.

Trading buoyancy for hazy fluidity, the woozy world that Van Houten creates is more dialled-down than usual here. Still, their dreamy sound is a little at odds with the subject matter, which deals with some heavy internal conflict.

"Diamond in My Hand is about realising that I have sometimes acted in a dysfunctional way that can hurt other people, and realising that I needed some time to work on myself without fear of hurting or pushing away my loved ones,” says Sadler.

“It's about hoping to meet my loved ones in a “better place” once I have handled all of my own issues. It's not easy to confront your own emotional problems head on and work them out. It can leave you feeling alone and alienated, but ultimately it needs to be done for the good of everyone around you and yourself. This song acknowledges just that.”

This song comes ahead of the group’s new ep, Home Alone Pt. 2, which is set for release on 10 September via CLUE Records. There’s no doubt that Van Houten’s sound is all ethereal all the time, but “Diamond in My Hand” isn’t just liquid instrumental – these still waters run deep, setting an intriguing tone for the EP.