The second album from Dutch singer-songwriter Martin Lucassen, ‘Nobody Talks About It’ surfaced in December of 2016. Arriving with a greater lean towards energetic pop stylings, ‘Nobody Talks About It’ was driven by the success of Lucassen’s debut album, ‘The Night Turns To Morning Light’, taking lead from the gentlefolk melodies and building them into a new series of eleven well-written songs.

An evolving score of layered acoustic guitar and classic pop vibes, Lucassen’s second album opens with ‘Falling to The Ground’, an energetic track that re-introduces Lucassen’s sound. It’s playful, reminiscent of early Kent anthems and built with Scandipop elements. From there, the album takes flight, adding subtle electric backing to the smooth piano lead sounds. Lucassen’s lyrics break through the melodies cleanly, bringing his thoughtful lyrics to the surface of each song.

Structurally, each track has a roaming, organic, even effortless feel, bringing light and pleasant rolling sounds to all the silent spaces. The production is done well, capturing the personal feel of Lucassen’s work and holding firm to the charming independent feel. Tracks such as ‘Beautiful Thing’ and ‘Forget Time’ are poetic lyrically and brilliantly authentic instrumentally, but they’re not the only ones. ‘A Dark Rainy Sunday’ has a bassline and calm beat that mingle perfectly to form an unbeatable atmosphere, while ‘Welcome to My World’ arrives as a perfectly balanced independent anthem.

They’re songs that are vibrant, but subtle in how they move and form. They’re all charming songs, beautifully constructed and easily relatable, like direct lines to Lucassen’s own past, present, and possible futures. Another deft collection, ‘Nobody Talks About it’ sees Lucassen expanding his vision, experimenting more and connecting with even greater intensity. He’s taken the foundations built in his debut album and made ‘Nobody Talks About It’ and even more impressive instalment in his career, and that is something worth celebrating.

Score: 7.5/10