New releases
Berliner rapper Samra returns with ‘Star’, a track that deals with a theme that has become very common in German rap this year – namely, the implications of fame. After shooting to fame in 2016 following his criticism of 187 Straßenbande, Samra has remained in the spotlight, before reaching number one in the German charts in April 2020 with his album Jibrail und Ibris.
Meanwhile, Mola and Haiyti combine in the bleak, yet nostalgic track ‘Schnee im Sommer’, which seemingly registers the disconnect between the life of a musician and the world around them.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Drangsal’s ‘Urlaub von mir’ is a track that deals with eclectic topics including identity crises, eccentricity and a loss of control.
Song of the week –‘Wie es in den Büchern steht’ – Helgen
Alternative and indie rock bands are few and far between in Germany, especially those who release music in the German language. Helgen does exactly that. The Hamburg trio takes inspiration from the comparatively fertile German rock scene of the 1970s, all while maintaining a clear early 2000s aesthetic. ‘Wie es in den Büchern steht’ is an anthemic track: all it needs is an audience to sing along to its tune.