Photo: Julio Cordey
With frenzied power pop riffs that’ll get your heart racing and anxious bass and drum action that’ll have you on the edge of your seat, Berlin’s Plattenbau unleashes a stellar new track via Dedstrange: “Cloaking Love.” Lewis Lloyd brings his grim cinematic vision to the table with this jagged, hypnotic single, delivering vocals and synth that’ll send chills down your spine.
“Cloaking Love is about our ever-recurring affliction for living in survival mode, locking up the heart and being closed off to the love that always flows,” says the band.
But here’s the kicker, folks: Plattenbau isn’t just about making great music – this quartet of “anti-punk art-heroes” are taking a stand against the death of ideology with the power of audio. Over the years, Lloyd’s songs have evolved from wiry, raw post-punk to taut, ironclad synth fortresses that are mechanical and repetitive, brutal and hypnotic. And somehow, through it all, they manage to stay fun and catchy, with anthemic hooks, straddling that ever-fruitful territory between noise and pop. We hear elements of DAF, Idles, The Clash, Gang of Four, Wire, and A Place To Bury Strangers.
The mesmerizing monochromatic video transports us back to a bygone era. Directed by Lewis Lloyd, and shot in East Berlin with DOP Sebastian Steins during a photo shoot with Julio Cordey, this video features stunning footage from various performances at SO36 in Berlin, New Colossus Fest 2023, and The 13th Floor in Austin at SXSW 2023.
But what truly sets this video apart is its remarkable retro feel, which harkens back to a time when the Wall still stood tall. It’s almost as though this video itself is a clandestine dispatch, smuggled between halves of a city ripped in two.
Watch the video for “Cloaking Love” below:
Plattenbau emerged from the depths of the former Stasi HQ in East Berlin, and has since carved out a reputation as a formidable live act.
In late 2019, Plattenbau welcomed some fresh blood into their ranks, with solo artist Jesper Munk joining on guitar, Sally Brown (Gurr, Anika) on bass, Brandon Walsh on drums, and Lewis Lloyd taking the helm on vox and synths.
Plattenbau’s second album, “Shape/Shifting,” dropped in 2022 via Oliver Ackermann’s esteemed label, Dedstrange. This release saw them join the likes of A Place To Bury Strangers, Jealous, and Data Animal on the roster, and they celebrated with a sold-out release show at the illustrious Haus der Statistik. The band then supported APTBS on 12 dates of their European tour and went on to play a slew of headline shows and festivals throughout the continent, including Fusion Festival and Waves Vienna.
As 2023 kicked off, Plattenbau continued to make waves with a series of well-received live performances. They supported APTBS once again, both in Berlin and New York City, and graced the stages of SXSW and New Colossus festivals.
Plattenbau will be touring in Europe and the UK starting later this week:
07.04 – Leipzig DE – Hxlxmxndxnxix
08.04 – Amsterdam NL – Skate Café
10.04 – London UK – Shacklewell Arms
12.04 – Luxembourg LU – De Gudden Wellen
13.04 – Paris FR – Supersonic
14.04 – Frankfurt DE – Exzess
15.04 – Halle DE – Galle
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