Tevalik - 2024 - Schattenläufer

(53:50; Echozone)




















Track list:
1. Arsinath 2:49
2. Freakstreet 4:27
3. Netzhass 4:17
4. Schattenläufer 4:01
5. Codes & Crashes 4:03
6. Pure Soul 3:25
7. The Ways 3:57
8. Nur Ihre Tränen 4:52
9. Dance of Gods 4:29
10. Tanzarroganz 4:00
11. Fremde Neue Welt 4:18
12. Schlussschatten 4:38
13. Du Hast Kein Herz (Tevalik Remix) 4:34

Line-up:
Michele Pesch
Thosrsten Schumacher


German band Tevalik started out back in 2020 or thereabouts, and since their formation they have two EPs and two full albums to their name. Their most recent album "Schattenläufer" was released in February 2024 through German label Echozone Records.

It is a cold and dark universe we are transported into with the sound and soundscapes crafted by this band, with electronic pop arguably being the best general description of the music explored here. Of the three types of variations within this overarching framework, the one in the clear minority are more atmospheric laden instrumental creations that draw in impulses from ambient music into a cold, dark and danceable electronic setting, and the instances where the band explores this approach and execution are also the ones I personally found to be the least interesting.

A bit more prevalent are songs that revolve around a more minimalist arrangement. Some of these come with a closer tie to 80s synth pop, and occasionally with possible references to the landscapes explored by an artist such as Gary Numan in the second half of the 1980s. Others are closer in style, form and execution to the compositions that dominate this production.

More driving and energetic creations are the dominant type of song we get to enjoy on this album. The moods and atmospheres are generally kept dark and dystopian here, with cold sounds and often hard sounds used to emphasize a more desolate and dystopian feel to the landscapes explored. Slight references to pioneers like Kraftwerk can be noted on occasion, and some vintage sounding synthesizer textures owe a lot to the classic albums by aforementioned Gary Numan. This is very much the case for the overall mood and atmosphere too. But here we also have a band that makes good use of select details from industrial music and arguably techno too, and spice matters up a bit with noise effects and other features that expands the dark and dystopian associations with a little bit of an alien feel to boot. While also ensuring that just about all the songs will function very well indeed on the dance floor too.

For my sake I found the cut 'Fremde Neue Welt' to be the most captivating entry here, with the ebb and flow between minimalist and more expressive sequences, the generally more expansive and adventurous nature of the song and the emphasis in driving and engaging rhythms that for my taste in music combined into a greater whole on this occasion.

If you tend to enjoy dark electronic music that makes use of elements from electronic music pioneers, synth pop and new wave and blends these with industrial and techno flavoring as well as a little bit of an experimental attitude, then this is an album that you probably will find appealing. Especially if you enjoy music of this type made in a manner well suited to the dance floor.

Olav M. Björnsen, April 2024

Links:
https://www.tevalik.com/
http://www.echozone.de/

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