Instrumental post-rock project Thistle Sifter announces new studio album »Forever The Optimist«; first single streaming now!

Utrecht, Netherlands based cinematic post-rock project Thistle Sifter has announced new studio album, »Forever The Optimist«, which will be released on February 6th, 2026 via FREIA Music / Dutch Music Works.

Watch a visualizer video for the first single »One Fleeting Glance« below!

Tracklist:
01. Anthropocene
02. Ghost Acres
03. Atop A Horrid Hill
04. One Fleeting Glance
05. Endling
06. Weightless
07. Et In Arcadia Ego
08. Forever The Optimist

Courtesy of Creative Eclipse PR:

Thistle Sifter is the cinematic post-rock project of English musician Pete Barnes (Utrecht, NL).

Catapulted into disarray following a serious cycling accident in November 2020, Thistle Sifter became a platform for Barnes to express his personal struggles and emotions, transporting listeners into an ethereal world of serene post-rock, spacey synth ambience, evolving soundscapes & lo-fi folk.

»Forever The Optimist« is Barnes’ latest and most ambitious work to date, offering a more eclectic and symphonic sound to his ever-expanding body of work. Where previous albums »A Spectral Moon« (2022) and »Circles« (2024) strongly focused on personal struggles with health, acceptance and letting go of the past. »Forever The Optimist« deals with existential issues caused by man’s neglect of our natural environment and fellow humans in the pursuit of neverending growth.

Heavily inspired by writers Jay Griffiths, George Monbiot, Omar El Akkad and Siddharth Kara, the eight compositions touch on themes such as land use, animal rights, cobalt mining in the Congo, climate breakdown, neo-liberalism and the media’s complicity in genocide. Each track on the album is accompanied by thematic visuals.

Photo by Lisanne Lentink

Thistle Sifter has been captivating audiences with its immersive audiovisual live experience throughout Europe in recent years, including AFAS Live in Amsterdam (with Sigur Rós), Le Guess Who? Festival (Utrecht) & Roadburn Festival (Tilburg). The band has shared a stage with Oh Hiroshima (Sweden), Midas Fall (UK), Törzs (Hungary) & Mother of Millions (Greece). The live line-up features Pete Barnes (guitar & synths), Nils Breunese (guitar), Alex Rushmer (bass & synths), Koen Klarenbeek (drums).

»Forever The Optimist« will be released on 6th February 2026. A full band audiovisual release show to celebrate this release will take place on Saturday 7th February at dBs in Utrecht (NL) and will be followed by shows throughout Europe.

Pre-order »Forever The Optimist« here:
thistlesifter.com | thistlesifter.bandcamp.com

All songs written and performed by Pete Barnes.
String arrangements by Mark Tersteeg.
Drums and percussion by Koen Klarenbeek.
Cello by Marta Jiménez Ramírez.
Viola by Maria Garcia.
Violins by Damián Cabedo Vicente & Begoña Hernández Gallardo.
Additional guitars by Nils Breunese & Tom Broshuis.
Production by Tom Broshuis & Pete Barnes.
Drums & strings recorded by Roy Rosendaal.
Mixed by Roy Rosendaal at Studio Ruisendaal.
Mastered by Pier-Durk Hogeterp.
Artwork by Nici Metselaar.

Poster design by Nici Metselaar
Photo by Lisanne Lentink

Thistle Sifter Tour Dates:
24/01 WPC Nederland 3, Wateringen
29/01 Cinetol, Amsterdam
07/02 dB’s, Utrecht
05/03 Simplon UP, Groningen
07/03 Roodkapje Rotterdam, Rotterdam
11/03 Zentralcafe Kaya, Nuremberg
12/03 Bürgerhaus Glockenbachwerkstatt, Munich
13/04 Ann and pat, Linz
14/04 Club Zentral, Stuttgart

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well