Kratzen

Melanie Graf (bass, vocals and organ), Thomas Mersch (guitar and vocals) and Stefanie Staub (drums and vocals) say that they only play what’s necessary, and that would be a fair way to sum up their music. The Cologne band describe their sound as »repetitive – motorised – stoic – reduced,« or, if that’s not succinct enough: »Krautwave.« Roughly speaking, this means that the spirit of »Hallogallo« is filtered through the understatement of Gang of Four and Joy Division. But while that may be all there is to it, that’s not all the band has to say. After formulating their shimmering, brittle sound in just seven tracks on their self-titled LP from autumn 2020, they are currently working on its follow-up. Thankfully, that’s one exception to their less-is-more ethos.