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With their long-awaited new album In Between Dreams, Amsterdam-based duo Secret Rendezvous (Sietske Morsch and Remi Lauw) deliver a body of work that feels both deeply personal and effortlessly universal. It is a record born out of persistence, reflection, and a renewed sense of creative freedom.
The title In Between Dreams is more than poetic flourish. As vocalist Sietske Morsch explained in interviews, it reflects the liminal space the duo found themselves in: between the dream of pursuing music full-time and the equally human dream of building a family. That tension, between ambition and vulnerability, between escapism and reality runs through the album’s DNA.
The pandemic years added further weight. Morsch temporarily lost her voice, while the pair wrestled with setbacks that threatened their joy in making music. Their solution was radical in its simplicity: return to the basics, sit at the piano or guitar, and play without pressure. That decision breathes through the record, which feels unforced, warm, and alive.
Earlier this year, the single Mutual offered a glimpse of what was to come. Described as a “sultry summer groove” inspired by Prince, Janet Jackson, and contemporary R&B figures like Victoria Monét and Lucky Daye, the track shimmered with breezy confidence. Its lush production and Morsch’s agile vocals sliding from smoky lows to crystalline highs, set the tone for an album that balances nostalgia with modern polish.
Placed within the album’s flow, Mutual becomes a pivot point: a song that embodies the duo’s ability to fuse intimacy with danceable energy. More than a single, it serves as the duo’s manifesto.
Across the ten tracks, Secret Rendezvous weave together influences from soul, funk, and dream-pop. Songs like Two Faced Lover and Scandalous lean into playful grooves, while Cold Shoulder and Sober reveal a more introspective side. The production is consistently sleek yet never sterile. There’s a warmth that recalls the analog soul of Minnie Riperton or The Isley Brothers, refracted through a contemporary lens.
What makes In Between Dreams stand out is its cohesion. As Remi Lauw himself put it:
“I worked on this album non-stop alongside all my other projects. It was tough at times, but I pulled through. I’m proud of this record — the songwriting, the story, and the sound come together here more than in anything we’ve done before.”
Ultimately, Rather than a simple collection of songs, In Between Dreams embodies the duo’s hard-fought resilience. Where earlier releases sometimes felt like snapshots of a duo still exploring their identity, this album presents Secret Rendezvous at their most assured. It’s music that invites both movement and contemplation, equally suited to late-night headphones as to a crowded dancefloor.
In a landscape where R&B often risks being overproduced or underfelt, Secret Rendezvous have carved out a space that is both sophisticated and sincere. Instead of floating in the haze of dreams, In Between Dreams crystallizes them into soulful truth.
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