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The world is in deep and dark disturbing times and Berlin’s AUS are the soundtrack to this apocalypse. This new three track EP has everything you loved from their second album from 2020 and more. It’s full of ice cold and stark future post punk gems.The drums drive the tracks with tom tom heavy rhythms next to a thunderous, melodic and locked in bass whilst the minimal synth and scatchy guitars add to the cold atmospherics. The vocals are the icing on top and move between Siouxsie and Anja from Xmal Deutschland with an added extra portion of boredom and disdain. If this was an obscure 7” from 1979 it would be on everyone’s wants list, but luckily for everyone it’s a 2024 release. ( Sean Forbes - Rough Trade )
Our take: Our third three-song single in this week’s update is this new one from Germany’s AUS on Berlin’s Static Age Musik. In case you haven’t noticed, Static Age has been putting out some excellent records lately. One of my favorites from last year, Die Letzten Ecken’s Talisman LP, was on the label, and like that record, Static Age’s recent releases are steeped in Germany’s tradition of arty yet danceable underground music, one that extends back to pioneering electronic groups like Kraftwerk all the way through the Neue Deutsche Welle and beyond. You may have heard AUS’s previous two full-lengths, but if you haven’t, they sound a lot like Xmal Deutschland as well as that band’s clear inspiration, Siouxsie & the Banshees. Like the mid-period Banshees albums (say, Keleidoscope through Tinderbox), the vibe is often central, dark but upbeat, evoking dimly lit dance clubs full of textured black fabric, eyeliner, and big, dyed-black hair. It’s an ambiance heavily associated with Berlin, and it shows that it’s AUS’s home turf. I usually prefer goth music that has a strong pop backbone, but AUS’s dance-informed approach, where they ride strong grooves for extended periods, works great here too. Three tracks dense with mood and energy.