Belgian dream-pop band Portland has returned with a track that cuts deep and soars high. ‘Lay Me Down’ is more than just a shimmering indie-pop gem—it’s a testament to resilience and rebirth. After frontman Jente Pironet’s harrowing diagnosis and recovery from a brain tumour, the band channels pain into beauty. With a London show on the horizon and new music in full flow, Portland is ready to rise again.
‘Lay Me Down’ feels both vulnerable and defiant. What did writing this song unlock for you emotionally or creatively?
Well, so many things to be honest. The last couple of years were a complete rollercoaster. Lots of fears, anxiety but also lots of adrenaline and afterwards, when the fight-flight mode went away and the emptiness returned, lots of melancholy was ruling the daily routine.
Your journey over the past two years has been intensely personal. How has that experience reshaped your relationship with music?
It’s a good thing that the ability to make music is always there. I tried so many things. Pretty bad stuff, for a little bit of escapism when the intensity was a bit too much, but of course, lots of talkings with experts, psychologists or doctors. But the thing is, the real therapy is just the fact that you can write about emotions while analyzing them and it gives a completed feeling afterwards.
You’ve described performing again as “under strict medical supervision.” How does it feel to be back on stage—especially with sold-out shows?
It really feels as an ‘hard-to-believe’ or ‘pretty-much-impossible’ reward after some difficult times. I have to admit that I kinda feel blessed because the difficult journey turned out this way while it could’ve been something completely disastrous. The reality might stay a bit difficult forever, but the fact that the biggest dream, reaching these achievements with the music, is still happening.. Well that gives a very satisfied feeling and lots of goosebumps.
Many fans have connected with the raw honesty in ‘Pouring Rain’ and ‘Killer’s Mind.’ How do you balance personal pain with universal themes?
I think universal themes are always there, just because we’re always living inside them, every day. It makes people feel connected, I think. I just don’t think that the topics of my songs should be way too personal with too many explicit details. So I just love to keep the lyrics a bit generalized so it could be possible for everybody to easily step inside the story and think about your own experiences that you’ll remember while listening to the song.
There’s a cinematic, dreamlike quality to your sound. What inspired the sonic world of ‘Lay Me Down’?
First of all, thank you so much for the amazing compliments. Sometimes I just don’t really think about the definition of sound. Sometimes I just want to use lots of reverb-guitars without thinking about it, while later on, I’ll probably discover that it’s sounding pretty ‘shoe-gazy’. It normally isn’t an intension in the beginning. And what’s also pretty funny is that after a whole production I’ll probably, suddenly, realize that I was listening to some records over de last couple of months that spontaneously influenced me, without me really knowing it.
From Rock Werchter to Pukkelpop and now The Waiting Room in London—what does playing here mean to you at this moment in your life?
I got to admit, the UK is one of my absolute favorite places. I really, really love London, been a couple of times in Brighton for The Great Escape, went to lots of places like Stoke-On-Trent and so on and so on, so I got to admit that playing in the UK is really something I always enjoy. I met lots of amazing individuals the last couple of years and if Belgium would stop existing one day, I’ll probably identify as 100% British.
You’ve been embraced at home in Belgium. What kind of connection are you hoping to spark with UK audiences?
Just some beautiful vibes, no matter how or in what kind of way. If I would just feel a small spark and a little bit of love, I’d be extremely happy. But off course, to be honest, it would also be absolutely amazing if one day my tunes would be played on the radiostations from time to time and if it would be possible to start selling a modest number of tickets in some charming places, I would probably be the happiest human being alive.
After everything you’ve been through, how would you define what Portland stands for today—musically and personally?
Well, it probably sound very cheesy, but if I could describe it in one world: ‘Hope’. If you carry lots of hope inside your mind, you can alway push the ‘good luck’. Without really doubting or think about it, your mindset is really going somewhere and you’re probably working towards a good goal without always analyzing everything. Just carry your hope, and see what happens.