Herpes - Symptome Und Beschwerden

Herpes are back: "Symptome und Beschwerden" ("Symptoms and Ailments") is the title of their second album. The Herpes sound mixes bone dry Art School Punk (Devo, Gang of Four, early Mekons) with some mid-period Goldene Zitronen, refined here and there with clear Krautrock influences. Not the hippie-blues-rock Krautrock, of course, but rather the Neu! Krautrock. It's presented with such vehemence and naturalness, as if Herpes had never even heard a note from any of those bands (which may be the case - you'd have to ask). As if Suicide would cover Pere Ubu.

"Symptome und Beschwerden" is both rugged and elegant at the same time. Hysteria and brevity meet and shake hands. Herpes front man Florian sings "I hate this city - which made me a man" and in his own way again pays homage to the city that made Herpes so well known with their hit „Very Berlin". As long as frustration among young people leads to albums like this, you would almost wish it upon yourself. What a nasty, a selfish thought.

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