LAIHO

About

" An atmospheric indie folk act led by the soulful-voiced Dorka Lajhó "

The debut LP from Budapest-based act LAIHO is comfort food for broken-hearted insomniacs. ‘We Are What We Hide’, released in May 2022, features Dorka Lajhó’s almost fairy-like vocals (perfectly matching her Léa Seydoux-like beauty), and her band – consisting of István Tóth (guitar), Marcell Gyányi (bass) and László Csízi (drums) – that adds texture and seems to complete Dorka’s musical vision.

The album may be considered melancholic and even minimalist at times, especially when Dorka barely allows her voice to vibrate above a whisper, but it’s also catchy, with elements of art pop and indie folk, leaving enough room for darker moods as well as rockier and jazzier experiments.

‘Morning With My Tears’ speaks of helpless rage, sitting aesthetically close to PJ Harvey’s ‘Down By The Water’; ‘Lullaby’ combines folk with symphonic elements; ‘Sweet Dreams’ offers a twist at the end with a stereo drum beat. The album was recorded with acclaimed producer Dániel Sándor and mixed by Marc Urselli, a very well-known name behind the music of U2, Nick Cave, and Foo Fighters.

What started out in 2018 as a one-person project belonging to singer-songwriter and trained classical pianist Dorka Lajhó, soon became a quartet shaped by Dorka’s very personal songwriting, bringing her own sound to life with exemplary attention to detail. The band released its first EP ‘Evolve’ in 2020, with which they used indie rock to labor in self-examination of topics like loneliness and troubled love.

Rhythmically it’s a balanced mix of energetic grooves and hazy explorations. They started making appearances in various local stages, including at Fekete Zaj Festival in 2021, paving the way for their debut album. LAIHO’s music is bare and intimate, which gives it a power that many acts lack due to being over-produced or over-thought.