The solo project of Jelle Denturck of DIRK retains his earnest songwriting but has us swooning with this ballad.

‘Nando’ is the debut single from Dressed Like Boys, better known to some as Jelle Denturck from Belgian band DIRK. Far more tender in sound, the song is an earnest love song, dedicated to Denturck’s partner.

An even, exposed piano ballad, the song comes close to saccharine – down to the tongue-in-cheek ABBA reference at its head – yet leaves just enough unsaid that its sweetness comes well-earned. The verses conclude on the charming melodic lift on the lightly oblique condition, “If we keep dancing slowly in the middle,” which gently propels us into the chorus. The abbreviated name forms a slightly unnatural hook, but this memorably reinforces the name’s continuous repetition through verse and chorus. The song builds and blossoms with the glam and sparkle of classic 70s balladry, but its modern perspective and evasion of going full pastiche leaves this the right side of Diane Coffee. The repeated “leave it up to fate” chorale is irresistibly euphoric, and balanced perfectly with the intimacy of the verses either side.

This debut introduces a completely different side to Denturck, unfurling the vulnerability that lies within his work with DIRK.