There is a new album by Drangsal. It will be released on August 27, 2021, and is titled »Exit Strategy«. It deals with love and beauty, doubt and dissatisfaction, and identity. Who am I? Who was I and who do I want to be? These are the questions. The answer: An »Exit Strategy«, a way out of stagnation. The single "Urlaub von mir" is now available.
In his music, Drangsal has already found the »Exit Strategy«: Here, everything is possible. You listen to an artist who truly knows no boundaries. At the beginning, the ear is caressed by familiar sounds, with ringing post-punk guitars. The illusion is short-lived: Suddenly, gasping strings and tom-toms follow in a thumping five-four time. There is no time to breathe, the title track bursts in unexpectedly, combining hysterically shrill Eurodance synth fanfares with stadium choirs, scratching at 200 beats per minute. Presto, they call it — very fast. It’s urgent, no Drangsal without urgency, the noise in the head is simply drowned out by even more noise.
»Exit Strategy« is the document of a matured artist. Drangsal has never played so freely and sung so versatilely as here, and he has never written lyrics so daringly and flamboyantly: from the present back to German Romanticism and forward again to the restricted code of Generation Z. »Exit Strategy« is rich in facets, but — that’s the great thing about it — it is not arbitrary: Everything fits together, every seemingly eccentric musical or lyrical twist seamlessly integrates into a larger picture.
Drangsal wrote the music and lyrics himself, also playing most of the instruments. He composed some choruses together with live guitarist Oliver Heinrich, and for some lines, he sought advice from podcast partner Casper or Dirk von Lowtzow; among others, Ilgen-Nur and Mia Morgan can be heard in the choirs, with the recurring violins credited to Sam Vance-Law. During a studio visit, Max Rieger contributed expansive guitar feedback to the opener. For the first time, Patrik Majer (Wir Sind Helden, Rosenstolz, Lemonbabies) acted as producer. With him, Drangsal has succeeded in bringing his art to where it always wanted to go. He now creates music that no one else creates; music that knows no stylistic boundaries and no limits of taste or shame.
»Exit Strategy« is the logical consequence of Drangsal's previous work. It is even richer, bolder, and more limitless in its use of all conceivable musical means: From the village boy who moved from »Harieschaim« to the big wide world, an artist has emerged who understands how to create a work that is as diverse as it is cohesive from the most varied musical and lyrical traditions.
1. Escape Fantasy
2. Exit Strategy
3. Mädchen sind die schönsten Jungs
4. Rot
5. Liedrian
6. Ich bin nicht so schön wie Du
7. Urlaub von mir
8. Schnuckel
9. Benzoe
10. Ein Lied geht nie kaputt
11. Karussell
"Exit Strategy" by Drangsal will be released on August 27, 2021.
