Odd Couple

If it weren’t for some of the German songs in their repertoire, you’d be hard pressed to place this rock n’ roll pairing. With their rugged good looks, long flowing hair, leather jackets and facial scrub, Tammo Dehn and Jascha Kreft could easily be a Swedish rock troupe, or a Detroit garage duo. But no, this duo are Berlin through and through. Raucous riffs and near anthemic tracks like ‘Nightcrawl’ and ‘Gone Solid’ (a song about shaving off your beard) put them in league with the likes of the Black Keys. There’s way more to this power couple than just riffs though, as Odd Couple often find themselves journeying down rabbit holes into krautrock territory, embellishing some of the more eccentric Germanic finesse that lives in their very heart.

An odd couple they are, having started out in kindergarten together in a village in Germany’s north. The duo later found themselves sharing an apartment in Berlin, trying to fulfill their rock ‘n’ roll dreams. Influenced by stoner rock icons Queens of the Stone Age, Odd Couple initially built their sound upon thrashing guitars and psych-rock that typified their debut LP It’s a Pressure to Meet You. More recently, the German pair dished out their latest album Flügge – a more complete and introspective sounding LP, which is quite apt in regards to the title – translated, it refers to being ready to fly, or to figuratively leave the nest. “It’s a state we thought or still think a lot about,” Dehn stated early in an interview. It’s the sound of two guys doing what they do well. With their off-kilter timings, sludgy riffs and general weirdness, Odd Couple embody die-hard earnestness, along with being two guys with long hair having a lot of fun. I mean, how serious can you be with a song about shaving off your beard?

Berlin isn’t exactly known for its rock scene, but that might be about to change with rising talents such as Odd Couple, Gurr, and Oum Shatt. The twosome find themselves in a growing network of like-minded rock musicians and bands that swap and share members over time. Dehn and Kreft also play in Suns of Thyme, a psychedelic stoner outfit, while also lending their skills to former studio buddies Klaus Johann Grobe and Cult Hands, whose other member Miro Denck, in turn, plays in Odd Couple’s live outfit. Just like Queens of the Stone Age’s revolving setup of musicians, Odd Couple find themselves well-connected with their scene. Don’t expect these die-hard castaways in Germany’s pure rock community to be the country’s best-kept secret for too long though. Dehn and Kraft have already left the nest, soon they’ll be flying.