American instrumental trio Verstärker announce their second album ‘Jenseits’ and share lead single and video ‘Ankunft’
American instrumental trio Verstärker is announcing their second album ‘Jenseits’ and sharing the lead single and video ‘Ankunft’. Honed on the sounds of krautrock, post-punk, no wave, and drone, Verstärker is a sound and a vision united in the quest for motorik space exploration. Freshly signed to Fuzz Club, their sophomore album is due for release October 27th and the dark pulsing groove of ‘Ankunft’ is an expansive first taste of what’s to come. The album comes on 180g coloured vinyl with a gatefold jacket and printed inner-sleeve. The black-and-white variant is limited to 300 hand-numbered copies and exclusive to the Fuzz Club store and membership, pre-order here
Describing the track, guitarist J. Vitatoe says: “‘Ankunft’, or Arrival, is the announcement of a new era dawning — a rebirth. Both for the band and, metaphorically, for society. The song begins with a solitary pulse — an electronic heartbeat symbolizing the still beating heart of humanity. As the song builds, the chaos of feedback and fuzz give way to the propulsive beat and driving melody that carries you towards the future and beyond. As the track resolves, it fades away to that single pulse. The beat goes on.”
Expanding on the themes explored on the new album, he adds: “Jenseits as a preposition means ‘beyond’ or ‘on the other side of’, and, as a noun, it means ‘the hereafter” or ‘the next world.’ This dual meaning is the concept that permeates the record. The motorik beat has always been about pushing towards the horizon, the sense of perpetual forward momentum. But eventually, you reach the breaking point and push through to the other side — going beyond the horizon. This is where we were trying to go sonically with this record — beyond.”
Hailing from rural Kentucky, the trio of sonic cosmonauts J. Gibson (bass/synth/recording), J. Norfleet (drums/sequences), and J. Vitatoe (guitar/effects/visuals) formed Verstärker in 2012 as a way of exploring their mutual love of music. Not long after their debut album ‘Aktivität’ was released on vinyl in 2018 — both pressings quickly selling out following the album’s initial digital and cassette self-release in 2015 and their fast-growing following in the psychedelic scene — they soon set to work on writing it’s follow-up. However, like everyone, the Covid lockdown put a halt on their plans and the band fell into a pandemic-induced hiatus.
As something resembling normality crept back and the band were able to regroup, work began again – album-opener ’Anknuft’ being the first song written after the hiatus. “We spent most of 2020 apart, each of our lives changing along with society around us”, J. Vitatoe recalls: “Slowly, we came back together in our practice space and began writing and recording what would become ‘Jenseits’. Influenced by the recent experience, the new material took on a heavier and even darker tone than the previous record. Curated down to 5 tracks in 45 minutes, ‘Jenseits’ is our response to the post-pandemic world we now find ourselves in. Everywhere, everything feels on the verge of collapse. We find our hope in the music and art. This is the future we are striving for.”
UPCOMING SHOWS
Oct 7 - Nijmegen, NL - De Onderbroek
Oct 8 - Würzburg, DE - Immerhin
Oct 9 - Münster, DE - Rare Guitar
10-OCT: Hamburg, DE - Bar 227
11-OCT: TBD
12-OCT: Berlin, DE - Schokoladen
13-OCT: Leipzig , DE - Noch Besser Leben
14-OCT: TBD
