Jungstötter / P.A. Hülsenbeck

Portrait of the artist as a young man: challenging texts and music with great depth.

When it comes to German music, Jungstötter is the band of the season. Their first single spurred exuberant comparisons in the press to Nick Cave, Scott Walker and Mark Hollis. And with their album »Love Is«, released in spring and produced by Max Rieger (Die Nerven), it became clear to everyone that they are doing something very impressive. Singer Fabian Altstötter croons about life, love and other existential catastrophes over dark-jazz instrumentations. As the band’s name suggests, their music makes listeners forget about their age. But this is no mere pastiche: it is, as pop music should be, 500% rooted in the present day, and the contradictions and ambiguities of our time. P.A. Hülsenbeck, the more contemplative band of Jungstötter guitarist Philipp Hülsenbeck, is the evening’s opening group.