BRUECKEN‘s unorthodox, yet fluent mixture of different influences from hardcore to shoegaze, challenges the well-known and established post-rock-formulas. Combined with their live visuals, the band manages to craft an atmospheric as well emotionally intense experience for their listeners. Though some might say such craft lacks the strength and texture of vocals, it compensates with cohesion and undeniable quality. The band’s new record “Schall Und Raum” is out now via Moment Of Collapse Records and it’s an impressive body of work which constantly shifts to unsettle and enchant in equal measure.
Started back in 2016, BRUECKEN was formed under the influence of bands like Envy, Fjort, The Tidal Sleep and Thrice to deliver a dark and atmospheric rendition of post hardcore. The founding line-up developed five songs that suited their visions and within five months went to record those live in October 2016 within one day. Planned as a promotional demo, the recordings were convincing enough to make them into an official release. After they had been treated in Oldenburg‘s renowned Tonmeisterei, the self-titled EP was published as a limited CD and digitally by the band themselves in may 2017 and was generaly well recieved. The momentum of the project got stopped cold when in December 2017 singer and bassplayer Jan Wiethölter passed away.
The band took their time to grieve and work through the loss but arrived at the decision not to end the project. A new direction and drive was found when bass-player Jens Niehoff joined the band. Together the fourpiece reworked existing fragments, explored new sounds, added layers and shaped a new concept for BRUECKEN. This included the decision to continue as an instrumental outlet, to pour emotions into sound without relying on a lyrical layer, but also consciously leave some blank spots for the listeners to fill in for themselves.
Another setback followed when drummer Claudius Mertins had to step back from his instrument due to health issues. He stays part of the band taking on duties in visual design, for live projections as well as conceptual work. After a short search young and energetic drummer Florian Alemi joined the band.
The band commented:
Our new release „SCHALL UND RAUM“, is the result of loss, love, passion and friendship and in that a very personal record. It deals with topics of facing tragedy, resisting adversities, but also hope and celebrating the joy, catharsis and energy that music is able to offer despite all that.
Sound and Space as represented in the german album title are tribute to that. Referring to a connection between the physical requirements for music as well as the metaphyiscal consequences of it, in creating a community as a space and sound as resonance.
It‘s important to the band that this way of looking at a personal level is also seen as a (political) stance. To not only accept obstacles and injustice, but to work at the overcoming and hope for change through community.
BRUECKEN stand as a band for the will to merge an explicitly poltical attitude and atmospheric, instrumental music. The background of the members in the Punk and Hardcore scene brings them to see music and politics to be inseperable intertvined and with their music they always try to couple punk attitude and ethos with progressive and emotional aspirations.
We are playing instrumental music to leave enough space for something that once was and something that is getting created through atmosphere and the visuals in our live set.
Asked about the future, BRUECKEN add:
Our maingoal is to keep this band going. For 2020 we are going to play some shows and hopefully a couple of festivals. Our mainfocus will be on writing further material for the next album.
Local music scene
Even if we all have our backgrounds in the diy punk/hardcore-scene, we don’t limit ourselfes to a scene or musicstyle. We are part of an active musicscene in Oldenburg and get huge support from a local venue that is offering rehearsalspaces as well. Beside this we try to help likeminded bands as good as we can. We built a good connection to our recordlabel Moment of Collapse Records and found in Fabian Schulz and his Sunsetter Recordingstudio in Bremen the perfect dude to work with on our recordings.
As long as the political context is impeccable, we play wherever people wanna see and hear us. Bottomline stays the same, as band/musician however you call yourself, the environment that surrounds you is built on the people that notice or even take part of what you do.
We are happy to say that we are surrounded be lovely people.
Other noteworthy artists worth a good thorough listen:
Here’s a list of Bands and their releases that have a heavy rotation in our van while we are on tour, or if we are at home and put our hands on our vinyl collection.
Cult Of Luna – a dawn to fear
Caspian – on circles
Bohren & der Club Of Gore – patchouli blue
Kokomo – totem youth
Radare – im argen
Porcupine Tree – fear of a blank planet
Russian Circles – guidance
Isis – panopticon
