Meg Ivy Brunning
Music journalist and photographer based in Cardiff (for now). Just trying to write about music that moves me in someway. If you do wish to find me though, I’ll usually be tucked away listening to music, talking to an animal on the street like a modern day Snow White or at a gig somewhere!
Langkamer’s latest track ‘Crows‘ is rife with determination and raw vulnerability ahead of new album ‘No‘ releasing 22nd January
Langkamer’s newest offering ‘Crows’ immediately hits you with the fierce determination of stomping through the city, ready to take on the concrete face-first. Why am I running around like that?!
It’s a wiry, anthemic shout into the void, that feels like feet hitting the pavement in a desperate plea to escape whatever it is you may be feeling. It perfectly channels the pressure many of us artists feel, Josh Jarman describes that relentless feeling of being “just another rat on the rat track”, constantly moulding yourself to create art when you’re being weighed down by late-stage capitalism.
Inspired by a week-long recording session under the Murcian heat of Remko Schouten’s new studio, the track defies the odds of its pressured genesis. The track teeters on that moment of raw vulnerability and thoughtfulness that Langkamer are known for. A whispered plea to the listener, “Am I wasting my time? You can be honest.” This line anchors the song’s central anxiety, something that many artists can relate to, in feeling as though everything you create is just something someone is never going to see or hear. It strikes an urgent chord, one that has stuck with me since I first heard the single. From the scaling chromatic guitar rhythms to the final chants of “suffering” and “struggle”, there’s this loud emotional honesty that lends the song an urgency and resonation amongst the creative community.
The true magic arrives in the climax of the track, the moment where the relentless, jagged energy of the verses resolves into this massive swell of instruments all begging to be heard. It’s like being completely winded by a sprint, your side hurting, leaning over to try and catch your breath.
‘Crows’ perfectly captures that nervous balance, confirming that Langkamer have always been and always will be way more than your favourite ‘mid-level indie band’ – they are the solid sound of ambition scraping its way to the top.
It’s a bold, brilliant introduction to their forthcoming album ‘No’, which I, for one, am very excited to hear!
‘No‘ shall be releasing on 22nd January via Breakfast Records.
Listen to ‘Crows‘ here: