I would carry the torch if you could kindle the fire
Could you lift me up, would you take me higher
In the cold sprawl of our world today, souls drift like scattered leaves, aimless and unanchored, rustling but rarely meeting. Cities thrum with commerce, ambition, and an unending urgency, yet beneath the bright lights lies a deep chasm of disconnect and detachment. People pass each other with guarded glances, hearts hardened against the relentless ache of isolation. The promise of true togetherness shimmers like a distant dream, a whispered hope swallowed by the city’s ceaseless clamour.
We yearn for warmth, for the comfort of connection to pierce the chill, yet our days are filled with solitary routines, wrapped in quiet. Human bonds, once as simple and essential as breath, have become scarce treasures, crushed under the weight of a world that prizes profit over people. We crave shared smiles, an understanding touch, but in this landscape of crowded loneliness, we remain apart—yearning, searching, silently suffering.
The beautifully hypnotic, anthemic Torch Song from Germany’s The Shallow Graves captures a struggle with overwhelming tragedy and relentless anxiety, paired with a deep yearning for love and genuine connection. It explores the push-and-pull between fear and the hope for something uplifting. One seeks a spark of inspiration or support, longing for someone to elevate them above the weight of their emotional turmoil and bring clarity.
“The video clip is a collage of cinematic impressions that express the longing for togetherness in the harsh world of isolation, loneliness and estrangement in modern capitalist metropolis,” says the Kassel-based band.
Stained glass windows shimmer with fractured light, dancers move with grace under dimmed skies, and highways stretch endlessly into the night, their asphalt veins glistening under the glow of streetlamps. The band sings with closed eyes, lost in a world of their own making, where feeling reigns over sight. German Expressionist cinema flickers in shadows and sharp lines, an echo of raw emotion and stark contrasts. Together, these images merge into a vivid short film—an evocative mosaic of human highs and lows. Joy and sorrow, beauty and loss, triumph and despair all dance and collide, capturing the restless rhythm of existence.
Watch Torch Song below:
Formed in 2005, the project sprang from the deep-rooted bond of longtime friends Julian Aust (ex-Velinas) and Christian Rossbach (ex-Madre Del Vizio/ Madre, Chassalla, Moribund Thirteen A.D.), determined to shape their shared dream of dynamic gothic rock. Their music strikes a balance—fresh yet familiar, echoing a bygone golden era. With driving rhythms and rich melodies, their sound draws heavily from the classic roots of goth and post-punk: think Sisters of Mercy’s relentless pulse or Joy Division’s brooding resonance. Yet there’s more—an ethereal quality inspired by the likes of Dead Can Dance and Faith and the Muse, a mystical thread running through each note, blending darkness with grace.
Listen to Torch Song below (out now via Wave Records) or order here.
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