Freude

In the artist's words:

Grungy guitars, energetic drums and an excellently celebrated loud-quiet dynamic: the Viennese rock band around Clemens Freude defines the New Viennese School - and Freude becomes FREUDE.

The musician transforms his name into an alter ego and injects the world with hope, expresses clearly offensive criticism and in doing so makes not only himself FREUDE. Unconventional at first glance, great pop appeal at second: FREUDE has the potential to change the world for the better. With more than 1 million streams on Spotify and plays on Austria's biggest radio stations Ö3, FM4 and 88.6, FREUDE is about to revive its own musical alternative genre: strumming strings and pounding drums, politics and love, bitterness and euphoria: the New Viennese School is already living up to its name.

Morbid end-time thoughts are given space, sophisticated lyrics and unadorned emotions are set to music with brittle guitar walls and driving beats to create topical political poetry. Contrasts play a major role in the lyrics, whose harsh fragility resembles Viennese old building facades. FREUDE 's songs are filled with gentle melodies, melancholy and metaphors as well as an unconcealed call for the necessary revolution.

"Everything, everything, everything is going to the dogs", sings FREUDE in the song "Vor die Hunde":"I can't stand you anymore, all the stupid excuses." The track heralds the release of the debut album "Salz" in September. It contains 15 songs, each dedicated to a specific emotion: "Vor die Hunde" (fear), "Kaufen" (greed), "Dämmerung" (euphoria) and "Hoffnung" (optimism) describe the diversity of human existence and form the artistic foundation of FREUDE 's lyrical world - as well as an admirable urge to improve the world.

Since 2020, FREUDE has been committed to social justice, practicing social and political criticism, organizing benefit concerts for the neunerhaus or YesWeCare at Vienna's Held:innenplatz with 100,000 visitors. A musical project with attitude, a clear opinion and the courage to take a stand. "The world is beautiful, but it can be just as hideous. Pop music is often a bit too beautiful and slick for me, so I also want to explore the other facets," says FREUDE.

Poetic lyrics with loud electric guitars between self-realization and fear of the future. In addition to the album, his debut novel will also be released, whichcan be seenas a "lyrically long form of the album". Fans in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can look forward to the powerful indie rock in the live version.