Sonic Eurotrip
Edition #58 features new tracks by Suz, benzii, Berglind, Tristesse Contemporaine, and Don't Kill The Beast.
Suz – Winds Of Summer Fields
There's a lucid rumbling, a beat roaming through the nocturnal city street canyons. The voice harrowingly echoing for companionship—lost amidst the lonely urban jungle.
Suz, born as Susanna La Polla De Giovanni, is an Italian singer and composer from Bologna. Despite having already released three albums, the new EP Hiatus marks a new chapter for the artist as it's the first record entirely written and produced by herself. Moreover, Suz steers from a pure trip-hop sound to a wider variety of electronic music.
One of the EP's seven tracks, Winds Of Summer Fields, certainly still has a close relationship with trip-hop. However, the song's sonic palette is haunting, nested, and even fearsome. Starting rather unspectacular, Suz quickly explodes into a nightmarish and dense complexity. But in spite of all its darkness, Winds Of Summer Fields sparks an obscure urge to explore its intricacies.
Tristesse Contemporaine – Sly Fox
Lights are flickering in neon colours; the dancefloor is alive to the sound of a funky groove. The bodies move to the rhythm of a lost era, catapulted to here and now.
Tristesse Contemporaine is a multi-national trio that settled in France's capital. Japanese Narumi, Swede Léo Halden (formerly guitarist at Jay Jay Johnson), and Englishman Maik (formerly singer of trip-hop band Earthling) somehow stranded in Paris and decided to start a creative journey. It resulted in shimmering pop music that connects a vintage feeling with the contemporary.
Their latest single, Sly Fox, is a homage to funk and disco music. The track embraces an incredible bassline, chirpy synthesizers, and expressive guitar work. As the latest preview of their upcoming album United, the song distils adrenaline into sound, a fuming cauldron of cool and swagger.
Bandcamp New & Notable May 16, 2022
benzii – Obsessed To Forget (feat. FLUCC)
A duel between jackhammering techno and a pleading voice—it's hard to get more radical, aggressive, and vulnerable simultaneously—a thing of beauty and violence.
I finally managed to listen to Bare Skin, the debut album of German artist benzii. Her work has been part of Weekly5 for some time, starting with the first single, Commodity, in January 2021 to Tsunami last April. And with each song, Berlin-based benzii refined her cocktail of art-pop, electronica, and rampaging beats.
But every other track on Bare Skin seems pale compared to benzii's collaboration with industrial hardcore producer FLUCC in Obsession To Forget. The beat's brutality juxtaposed with benzii's meandering voice creates an atmosphere that feels uneasy and sad yet exhilarating. But there's no doubt: The bold bruteness of Obsession To Forget is not for the fainthearted. Listen with caution.
Don't Kill The Beast – LSF
A rough intro gives nothing away about the fast-paced but smooth melody that follows. The playful guitars and soothing voice evoke warmth and optimism.
Switzerland's Don't Kill The Beast haven't released a new record for over four years. Songwriter David Blum was simply drained of inspiration. It was an accident that prevented him from working as a bicycle courier, finally giving him the mental space to rediscover his creativity. The result is called I Am & I Change and features seven captivating indie rock tracks—Secret has already been featured back in March.
Another of the sophomore record's songs is LSF (short for 'life seems fine'), and it's a thrilling ride. Don't Kill The Beast balances the musical ingredients perfectly—from rock's rough textures to the beautifully crafted guitar melodies and the angelic voice. LSF wraps it all up in an unflinching forward movement. Yes, life really does seem fine.
Bandcamp Album of the Day Sep 8, 2022
Berglind – Bleib
A dark voice crawls under your skin, present and intimate. Poetry, surrounded and supported by waves of sound that create a deep-rooted longing.
Giovanna Fartacek has already won the renowned Austrian Amadeus Award for her work with the band Mynth. Now, Fartacek starts her solo journey as Berglind and explores the realms of Deutschpop, pop music with German lyrics. After Träum lauter, Berglind has released a second single.
Bleib features a mysterious soundscape, groaning and rattling in the background, while her sombre voice paints a thrilling and poetic image with words. Slightly melancholic, in contrast with the song's rousing melody, Bleib is a demonstration of composing dominance. Berglind should definitely be on your watchlist.
Bandcamp New & Notable May 26, 2020
