Dutch singer and songwriter CHARLOTTE WESSELS has released the official music video for “Incubus,” the first single from her upcoming album, Mute Swan Empire, scheduled for release on February 5, 2027. The record marks a new chapter for Wessels and her band, now officially known as THE OBSESSION, and will be accompanied by their first headlining tour across Europe and the United Kingdom.
The 15-track album is a character-driven concept record exploring humanity’s responses to environmental, social, and existential crises. Each composition represents a different archetype, examining how individuals confront uncertainty, societal collapse, and the consequences of their own actions.
“Incubus” introduces the Insomniac
The opening single, “Incubus,” combines choral arrangements, atmospheric passages, and heavy instrumentation. Inspired in part by Henry Fuseli’s painting The Nightmare, the song introduces the Insomniac, a character struggling with anxiety, sleeplessness, and the weight of events unfolding in the world.
Wessels explained the concept behind the track:
“‘Incubus’ is about the things that keep us awake at night, both literally and figuratively. It introduces the Insomniac, one of the archetypes that inhabit Mute Swan Empire: A character lying awake beneath the weight of an incubus, wearing a mask made up of her fears, worries, and the many crises unfolding around her.”
The song explores the intersection between personal fears and external circumstances, examining how the two can become difficult to distinguish. However, the character’s experience also introduces the idea that perseverance can become a source of strength.
Wessels added that “Incubus” serves as the first introduction to the larger narrative developed throughout Mute Swan Empire, with each subsequent song presenting another perspective on the album’s central themes.
Mute Swan Empire examines humanity’s response to crisis
Although Wessels did not initially intend to create a concept album, recurring themes began emerging as she developed the material.
The songs explore different responses to contemporary challenges, including denial, complicity, withdrawal, blind obedience, selective empathy, hope, and human connection.
According to Wessels, these recurring ideas eventually became the foundation of the album.
“What fascinates me is how easy it is to recognise these responses in others, and how much harder it can be to recognise them in ourselves. I didn’t want an album that simply points fingers or offers easy answers. I wanted to explore the contradictions, the uncomfortable grey areas, and the possibility that we can change.”
The album’s title references the traditional myth of the swan song, the belief that a swan produces its most beautiful song immediately before death.
Wessels uses that idea to question whether humanity, facing ecological and social crises, will experience a final moment of beauty or meaning before its potential decline.
Musically, Mute Swan Empire moves between heavy arrangements, alternative influences, orchestral textures, and intimate passages. The record places greater emphasis on the collective contributions of THE OBSESSION, reflecting the band’s development through several years of live performances.
The album was produced by Wessels and Joost van den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities, where it was also mixed. Guitarist Timo Somers contributed to the arrangements and recorded the album’s bass parts.
Additional musicians include cellist Elianne Anemaat on several tracks, while Vikram Shankar provided orchestral and additional keyboard arrangements.
Literary and historical influences
Beyond its central concept, Mute Swan Empire incorporates references to literature, poetry, and historical writings.
“In Leta Via” features words by medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen, while “The Hermit Song” draws from the writings of Julian of Norwich.
“Emergency Kit” incorporates text from the Dutch Denk Vooruit public preparedness campaign, and “One Day They Will Come For You” takes inspiration from Martin Niemöller’s postwar confessional prose.
The closing track, “Bells Of Lynn,” was inspired by and incorporates fragments of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem of the same name.
Work on the album began before the completion of Wessels’ previous record, The Obsession, released in 2024. Since 2020, she has regularly shared new compositions through Patreon, with selected material later appearing on her public releases.
One of the earliest songs developed for Mute Swan Empire was “Incantations,” originally released through Patreon in March 2024 and subsequently rearranged for the new album.
Mute Swan Empire Tracklist
- Incubus
- In Leta Via
- Tempest
- After Us The Flood
- Good Girl (If You’re Ready To Die)
- The Hermit Song
- Emergency Kit
- One Day They Will Come For You
- Weeping Madonna
- This Is Not An Opinion
- The Villain
- Let The Music Decide
- Incantations
- Starling
- Bells Of Lynn
The album will be available digitally, on CD, and in several vinyl configurations, including a limited Marbled Oxblood Red/Black edition and a Swan White pressing exclusive to Wessels’ Patreon supporters. Pre-order
First European and UK headline tour announced
CHARLOTTE WESSELS and THE OBSESSION will embark on their first headlining tour across Europe and the United Kingdom beginning February 4, 2027, in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, one day before the album’s release.
The tour will feature MELISSA BONNY, vocalist of AD INFINITUM, as support on most dates. Performances are scheduled throughout February, including stops in London, Glasgow, Paris, Milan, Vienna, Berlin, and other European cities.
The run concludes February 27 in Wessels’ hometown of Utrecht, Netherlands.
Before the European tour, the band will also perform in Brazil and Argentina in December 2026.
THE OBSESSION lineup
- Charlotte Wessels: Vocals, keyboards
- Timo Somers: Guitars, backing vocals
- Joey Marin de Boer: Drums
- Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije: Bass
- Nina Van Beelen: Keyboards, backing vocals
Mute Swan Empire arrives February 5, 2027. The official music video for “Incubus” is available now, and album preorders are open.