TLF Trio – Desire

Desire is the second album by TLF Trio, the Danish group comprising cellist Cæcilie Trier (CTM), pianist Jakob Littauer and guitarist Mads Kristian Højlund Frøslev (MK Velsorf). Building on their debut album Sweet Harmony and the EP New Songs & Variations with Moritz von Oswald, the trio continue their exploration of contemporary music – situated somewhere between instrumental chamber music, jazz, electronica and pop.

Attentive to detail and rich in layers, Desire reveals the quiet emotional intelligence and empathetic intuition of the Danish musicians. This becomes evident in »Dancer«, an elegant reimagining of club music, or in the finely calibrated flow of energies within the romantic title track. Minimal repetitions, subtly shifted spaces, diffuse reverb and grooves that briefly surface and recede create a collage of memories and associations, untethered from clear notions of time and place.

Rather than constructing large arcs of tension, the album works with constantly shifting emotional states. This is reinforced by the extensive use of sampling and a pronounced deployment of silence as a compositional tool. Much like their debut, which reveals itself as an ideal companion record after repeated listens, the trio never risks losing its core essence. With great restraint, they shape a sound that is distinctly their own – and quietly unpredictable.