Levin Goes Lightly

In the organizer's words:

From the depths of post-punk, cold wave and dancefloor, Levin Goes Lightly is back with a new album: Numb is the title of his fifth long player, which will be released on October 18. Levin Goes Lightly tells stories of toxic relationships, dark periods in life and great love in his characteristic quirky imagery. The melodic vocals alternate between German and English, while the musical framework consists of driving electronic beats, cool synthesizers, warm organ tones and wavy guitar parts. In the song "Headbanging" he asks "Is it beautiful when it's sad? / Is it so beautiful because it's so sad?" - and yet he himself provides proof that bittersweet sadness can be beautiful and still very danceable.

The songs are about lovers (or sea monsters?) living deep in the sea, striving together only towards the light or gazing into the sun until a common spot burns itself into their eyes - "so that they can recognize each other by this spot forever". About the fact that you have to realize that you yourself are the chaos, no matter how hard you fight against it, and about hands that are only not numb when they touch the other. Angels who are only terrible and dissolve in intoxication.

Levin Goes Lightly's music is sophisticated and driving, his performances always sweaty and glamorous. Some songs bring to mind early New Order, Boy Harsher or Gray Zone and the warmth of Beach House. As with the previous albums, the songwriting is characterized by musical versatility and profound, but also strange lyrics. With his melancholic melodies, often accompanied by powerful beats, he succeeds in weaving in deep emotions. He has developed his sound over five albums: From lo-fi to post-punk, from English to German and back again. "Numb" adds pieces to his musical cosmos that are now more in line with the dark dance and electronic sound of John Maus. The soundscapes he creates are always driving and hypnotic - a kind of cold wave that warms the heart. If the album had a color, it would be such a deep blue that it would almost seem black. But only almost.

Live, the androgynous eccentric is on the road both solo and with different line-ups. For some time now, the musicians/producers Paul Schwarz (drums) and Thomas Zehnle (guitar) have been an integral part of the band. They also perform live as a five-piece band with Julia Kalb on bass and Alisa Scetinina (aka Gaisma) on synthesizer. In fall and winter 2024, Levin Goes Lightly will be touring all over Germany again.