Country: Germany
Alt rock duo Lea Porcelain, in the four years since releasing their debut album Hymns to the Night, have become one of Germany’s most intriguing musical exports. Their brooding, post-punk sound meshing elements of Joy Division, Editors and Radiohead, builds off intense layering of soundscapes. Droning guitars, eerie keyboards and haunting vocals come together to create a surprisingly effective harmony that isn’t afraid to cling to emotional depths.
The first single from their latest album Choirs to Heaven, “Pool Song” opens with an 80’s drum beat and simple harmonics that leave space for the National-esque vocals to expand and consume. New wave guitars come into the mix with some atmospheric orchestration, but subtly enough so the progression of the track towards celestial heights feels organic, making the beautiful ending pay off.
Coming in on the opposite end of the spectrum, 2019 single “I Am Ok” is a sparse (comparatively), ukulele and drum track that mines a hopeful optimism that could easily soundtrack a scene for a feel-good indie film. Another powerful track is “Warsaw Street” from their debut album, which comes in with intense synths and drum beats that steadily dig into your soul. And yet, even as the lyrics here describe painful scenarios, the group still allows for a light at the end of the song’s foggy tunnel, as the chorus repeats “it won’t last”.
Get to know Lea Porcelain by checking out a couple of their songs in our World Watch Playlist!
The Indy Review 