Jorge Natalin’s ninth extended play, De Zonnewende EP, is more than a collection of songs—it’s a spiritual and political statement, wrapped in deeply personal grief and quietly powerful tribute. Released on June 20, 2025, the project stands as a solemn and poetic meditation on change, loss, and renewal, both in a personal and global context. The title, De Zonnewende—Dutch for The Solstice—is no coincidence. Like the solstice, this EP marks a turning point: a shift from darkness toward light, from silence toward hope.
At its heart, De Zonnewende is dedicated to Mazen al-Hamada, a Syrian human rights activist who disappeared after returning to Syria in 2020, and is presumed to have died in detention. The EP is introduced with a short but devastatingly direct note:
“May you be forever safe in the arms of the Lord now. And just as the Sun turns over, now the regime is gone. Unfortunately, you could not experience this.”
It’s a chilling reminder of both injustice and endurance—an acknowledgment that while freedom may arrive, it often does so at a heartbreaking cost.
From the first note, De Zonnewende feels like a quiet act of reverence. Jorge Natalin doesn’t rely on grandiosity or spectacle. Instead, the EP leans into restraint, offering sparse arrangements and gentle textures that leave room for the weight of the subject matter to settle in. There’s a stillness here—almost meditative—but also movement, subtle like a shifting tide or the changing of light at dusk.
Though the EP wasn’t released with a detailed tracklist in the press kit, the emotional through-line is unmistakable. You can hear it in the mournful chord progressions, in the way the melodies rise and fall like breath. The production feels intentionally raw and minimalistic—perhaps a choice to keep the focus on reflection rather than distraction. This is music made for introspection, for mourning, for remembering.
One of the most powerful aspects of De Zonnewende is how it blurs the line between the personal and the political. Jorge Natalin doesn’t write protest music in the traditional sense. Instead, he crafts spaces—sonic sanctuaries—where grief is not only allowed but honored. In doing so, he invites listeners to consider the cost of silence, the weight of human dignity, and the quiet resilience of those who fight for justice and truth.
There’s a deep reverence here—not only for Mazen al-Hamada but for anyone who has endured in silence or suffered under oppression. It’s a rare thing to hear an EP that communicates so much with so little, that offers no easy answers, but instead leaves you with the ache of the question: What is lost when we look away?
Even without flashy hooks or chart-ready production, De Zonnewende EP stands out as one of the most emotionally resonant releases of the year. It doesn’t ask for attention—it earns it through sincerity and purpose. Jorge Natalin’s music doesn’t just speak; it listens. And what it hears—through silence, memory, and faith—is something quietly profound.
De Zonnewende EP is a deeply moving work that lives at the intersection of art and memorial. It’s a gentle, reflective gesture, offered with humility and grace. In dedicating this EP to Mazen al-Hamada, Jorge Natalin ensures his memory endures—not just as a name, but as a spirit carried forward in sound.
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