Bringing you readers wonderful new music on a (hopefully) sunny morning in April is what gets me up and going. Well, that and the fact that I can’t ignore my dog any longer after they’ve been staring four inches from my face since the crack of dawn. Luckily, I have some brilliant synth-y post-punk to debut single AND video premiere, ‘Transcender’, to share with you courtesy of Germany-based duo, ROUÉ. Dig in below!
Starting as a remote project during Covid19 between Schahryar Kananian and Steffen Andrae, two multi-instrumentalists who have dabbled in a plethora of genres over the years, ROUÉ brings together the worlds of indie pop, post-punk, dark jazz, electronic, and oriental themes.
The band themselves state in their press release for Eastwest / Remote, their debut EP which “Transcender” features on, that they were heavily influenced by Radiohead. There is quite a bit of Thom Yorke-esque falsetto, which is both buttery smooth and disconcerting, especially considering the worship imagery depicted in the music video.
However, there’s much more on offer. This is more like Radiohead meets Persian psychedelia by way of Miracle thanks to the pulsing electronics, Arabic string melodies, and contrasting drum rhythms. Encapsulating, dark, and worrying, ROUÉ’s debut single and music video is also oddly comforting, and thoroughly re-playable. Absolutely more of this, please!
ROUÉ themselves have this to say about “Transcender”:
‘Our first single “Transcender” tries to capture a strangely universal human experience: the search for an existence or power that transcends individual being. Whereas the lyrics (as the video) of the song explore collective practices of bliss, devotion, and worship, its composition combines polyrhythmic drumming and oriental sounds with EDM elements and falsetto singing, thus creating a haunting fusion of artistic forms that speak of the search for transcendence.‘
If you like what you hear and want to pre-order Eastwest / Remote, which comes out on June 24, 2024, do so on ROUÉ’s Bandcamp. You can also follow them on their Instagram to stay in the know as to their goings on.
