Flut

Alles klar, Herr Kommisar? Imagine an ongoing crime thriller series from the 1980s, with cool blonde femme fatale and a self-loathing, but suave small-time gangster who stumbles from one sombre, bloody crime scene to another, always one step behind the game. Flut could be in charge of much more than just the series’ soundtrack. The band is in love with this particular aesthetic and reproduces not just the sonic atmosphere, but also the cool colours, smoky alleys, trench coats, dramatic lighting and video crossfades. The visual element is key, as the band’s history even began with a portable VHS camera, which they experimented with. And it shows.

Flut – German for flood – use pathetic guitars, a lot of echo, and haunting synths to evoke a time when real feelings lay deep beneath clichéd, superficial images. It’s almost like a search for a life that’s worth living, a life that has gotten so brittle, the band can only present it through the reflection of a bygone era. Flut sing about futile voyages and what the purpose all of this might be, sometimes ice cold, sometimes full of fervent pathos. The band’s debut EP came out in spring 2017 and was produced by the legendary Patrick Pulsinger, born in East Germany and a long-time resident of Vienna, who shaped their sound to perfection.

The band members are relatively young, so their live performance is still a work in progress, but they’ve already got an enormous arsenal of guitar pedals, a flying V guitar and nicely printed shirts. What else do you need?