Conny Ochs Unveils a Dream Sequence With “HickHack”

If you’ve been itching desperately for some dark, doomy, German folk to help set the October mood, you’ve come to the right place (or premiere, rather)! If not, well, you’re still in for a treat. Today, we are proud to present the official video for none other than Conny Ochs‘s “HickHack”! Press play below, right now!

Conny Ochs is an artist that does not shy from experimentation. The entire concoction of “HickHack”, as well as the conception of Ochs’ solo project, seems to be a product of his desire to not only express but manifest his visions. As such, his upcoming album of which features “HickHack”, Wahn Und Sinn, is nothing short of a maximizing of well-written poetry, realized into vivid forms of telling by way of audio waveform. Originally intended to be a book full of poems, Ochs has taken things a step further, and really concocted a formula by way of musical endeavor that puts us into the deeper recesses of his mind – “HickHack” serves as a mere glimpse of this journey.

‘“Hickhack” was actually one of the first songs I wrote for the album, and an unusual one too. The lyrics are the remains of a dream I had during that intense period when I rediscovered the German language after many years of absence from writing in it. It’s a love/hate situation, almost feels like a battle with myself. With ambitions, with a society I never could adapt to really, with people at some times, with love. I picked it as a single since I feel it describes being driven and the struggle which the album as a whole talks about quite well. Plus, it’s got a title that’s going to make people’s heads itch a bit, I hope.‘

Elaborating upon the process that transformed Wahn Und Sinn from a collection of poems into a full-fledge album:

‘I had the feeling that there was the same energy in the resulting songs as in the book. I was fascinated by Tobias [Vethake]’s work at Trialogos and as a producer and suddenly felt the urge to ask him to produce these songs. We did it in a radical way: I sent him my unedited demos and asked him to throw away the instruments and just keep the vocals and harmonic arrangements.‘

The song haunts with its eerie, suspenseful atmosphere that also manages to be soothing on the ears with its melodies and cinematic timbre. Listening to the track makes me picture a foggy fall evening in a small town by any given body of water. The tone practically forges the setting of the next big thriller film or series everyone will be talking about after episode one drops. The emotional, almost Vaudeville-esque procession of the track and video envelopes plenty of artistic quality, and Conny Ochs will instantly have your attention with his themes of rediscovering yourself by way of breaking down and rebuilding, so to speak; ‘If I look at both together now, I find that also Wahn Und Sinn tells the story which until now seems to be the core of my songs: getting lost in order to find yourself.‘

Wahn Und Sinn releases via Exile On Mainstream Records on October 20th, 2023! But for now, be sure to replay the beauty of “HickHack” in all its visual and audible mystery. Be sure to keep up to date on all things Conny Ochs via Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp! Put this one on your newest Halloween playlist.