80s enhanced
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| L'appel du vide - "Metro" Label: It's Eleven Records |
While I don't know how to pigeonhole L'APPEL DU VIDE from Sachsen in Germany, I most definitely know, that their EP from 2022 was one of the freshest records in said year. Well, it's not like they invented a new kind of music, but they put together all those small puzzle pieces to ultimately sound like nothing else...? It's hard to tell, as everything about them screams 80s. I'm no youngster anymore, still I was born too late to witness this decade in music. Due to my uncle, I grew up listening to a lot of DEPECHE MODE classcis, so I always had a knack for this kind of cool, dark, moody music, up to this day...
L'APPEL DU VIDE have a lot of different influences, mainly from the 80s. And they used them to create something very sharp, something of their own. I already said this in my little blurb on their EP, but what I love about them is, that they don't take the "Punk" out of Post-Punk. They don't dwelve into freaky soundscapes or ambient electronicas. They bring the riffs and they bring the fast rhythms. In that manner, their debut album "Metro" is pretty much the continuation of "Abwärtsspirale". However, they improved a lot over the last two years. First, in terms of a more well rounded, richer production. And secondly, when it comes to their songwriting. At first, it seems like all of these 9 songs are somehow similar, but spin after spin you'll notice more details that cleverly differ the tracks from one another.
Before we'll get to the songs themselves, let's try to define their style by throwing around some genre names. I already dropped the term "Post-Punk", and I could add Darkwave, Gothic Rock, Neue Deutsche Welle, or even Surf Punk. Most of the time the tracks blossom on a catchy, New Wave-ish riff, but they don't stop there. The tight rhythm section drives things forward, the distinctive, yet so "typisch deutsche" vocals make things memorable and the guitar work sets the tone and the mood. Their collective is pretty impressive.
The first half of "Metro" is pretty much impeccable! The lead single "Nacht" (see the video below!) is among the top hits of the record and a perfect opener: Fast, catchy, driving, and trademark L'APPEL DU VIDE. Most records would go downhill from there, but this album continues with "Verschwiegen", which might just be my favorite. Rene's excellent, overstated singing, the dark and vivid lyrics, Flatty's hypnotic guitar play, the AGENT ORANGE-quotes, the irresistible rhythm, and the epic arc near the end... damn! "Offenbarungseid" then, shows L'APPEL DU VIDE from their Punk-y site, getting it done in two and a half minutes. "Woanders" is the third big hit, this time with a very haunting chorus. Can't get it out of my head! The sluggish "Verbrennen" completes the first half and sounds like no other track before. And exactly that also holds true for the remaining songs. You can hear and feel the effort that was put into the songwriting process. L'APPEL DU VIDE have a distinctive sound, especially in 2024, but they go the extra mile on "Metro" to make it something bigger...
The one thing I can't judge is, how impactful L'APPEL DU VIDE are for a non-native speaker. Personally I (for a change!) really love the deliberate "German vibe" and think that's a big part of their whole aesthetics. Still, even without that, one thing is clear: These guys are among the coolest bands right now. And "Metro" is one hell of a debut album.
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