It’s quite chilly here up North. Winter’s been upon us for a few weeks now, to the delight of some and to the dismay to others. I personally sail somewhere in the middle, not looking forward to the heating bills yet hoping for minus twenty degrees Celsius and sunshine rather than the constant slush and darkness. Right now it’s relatively alright, it’s chilly out but inside I have fire in the hearth, a warm cup of laced tea, and something pleasant on my stereos. While I can neither offer you snow, the fireplace, or a cup of herbs and spices, I can damn well share the house-vibrating tunes with you right here, right now.
The Berlin-based experimental trio ZAHN are releasing their awaited third album PURPUR on February 20, 2026, via CRAZYSANE RECORDS and Cargo Records. Today, we’re glad to be able to team up with the group and bring you “SOLEX”, the first single/video cut from the said record. So sit back and be prepared to get swept away by some monolithic grooves in a second;
As for the music, ZAHN doesn’t only rely on their established signature sound, but as custom dictates, push themselves to fresh territories that explore both the familiar ground as well as unearthing some new. While “SOLEX” opens with aerial clean guitar repetition and tasty synth swells, the solid odd-timed groove comes in without knocking to carry the track forward, further spiced with warm and wobbly vintage synth lines. Continuously growing and headed to a singular direction, the song grabs the listener to a journey alongside it, while providing framework for what’s to be expected of PURPUR, yet without giving too much away.
As for the video, devised by the band and realized by N. Hildebrandt, we get a thorough look at intensity through the lens of monotony. The extremely simple yet effective concept is captivating in its simplicity, and while the music itself is more adventurous, the video acts as a perfect counterpart to the song and its static and unyielding nature.
I for one am looking forward to hearing the rest of PURPUR (or technically more and more of it, as I might just have it already on repeat on the background while writing this), and so should you. ZAHN are a group to keep a keen eye on (as I have, ever since I wrote about them back in the days of yore), and you can do so by following them on Facebook and Instagram. The new album on the other hand can be pre-ordered on digital and physical formats, as well as pre-saved, over here. There are two album release shows planned in their native Germany on February 20 at Betty (formerly Headcrash) in Hamburg (tickets here) and February 21 at Neue Zukunft in Berlin (tickets here).
Promo photo by Lupus Lindemann
