Nation of Language

In the organizer's words:

Nation of Language from New York City move musically between synthpop, minimal wave, post-punk, goth and new romantic. It is precisely this mixture that makes the band so appealing.

The band's current, fourth album Dance Called Memory was created during a difficult personal phase. Singer Devaney wrote many of the songs by playing the guitar melancholically to deal with his depression. The music on the album is atmospheric, open and emotional - less cool and technical, but deliberately warm and vulnerable.

The first two albums Introduction, Presence (2020) and A Way Forward (2021) became important soundtracks for many people during the pandemic. However, the big breakthrough came with Strange Disciple (2023), which was voted "Album of the Year" by Rough Trade, among others. Critics particularly praised the further development and greatness of the band's sound.

In terms of content, Dance Called Memory deals heavily with loss, transience and interpersonal relationships. The single "Now That You're Gone" was written after the death of Devaney's godfather and also addresses the burden and love of people who care for relatives. At the same time, it is about friendships that provide support - but also about relationships that fall apart.

The song "I'm Not Ready for the Change" also addresses these topics. In it, Devaney describes the feeling of how quickly life changes and how people drift apart over time. An old party photo with former couples and friends inspired him to reflect on transience and memory.

For the production, the band once again worked with Nick Millhiser, who had already produced Strange Disciple. Musically, the group experimented more with different soundscapes this time: from dreamy, shoegaze-like elements to electronic sounds of the early 2000s.

Devaney emphasizes that although bands such as Kraftwerk had a strong influence on him, for this album he was guided more by Brian Eno's idea of making electronic music sound as emotional as possible. Especially at a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly replacing creative processes, he consciously wanted to create an album that focused on real feelings and human experiences.