With Rau., their second album, the German trio DEW offers to the musical world a rough post-punk universe, deeply anchored in the industrial aesthetics. Composed of Peter and Andre, two members of the band barreland and Micha, DEW performed several concerts in 2018 and received good reviews. Rau. was published on January 4, 2021. It is available in a limited-edition cassette format on the label MÖRTEL SOUNDS as well as in digital format on the label P.O.G.O Records.
The sound of DEW is striking from the beginning of “endstation eskalation,” the first tune of Rau. Everything is in the name of this album. Rau. rough, just like the sound texture of the trio. The drum patterns are nervous and vary little, the melodic elements are brought by the guitar parts, which are sometimes rhythmic, sometimes counterpoint. The bass and guitars create a background of sound drowned in effects, including distortion, effects that run over, overflow and alter everything they touch. On top of this instrumentation, a spoken voice projected to the listener’s face, Micha’s, who speaks in German. An abrasive sound at the limit of perpetual saturation and an energy worthy of an explosive rehearsal in the depths of a garage: this is the sound signature of DEW.
Each song gets to the heart of the matter. If the writing and the arrangements seem simple at first sight, both are devilishly effective. All tracks have a so-called “format radio” duration, ranging from 2’25 for “neongrau” to 3’50 for “endstation eskalation.” Thus, none of them takes precedence over another and all have their own strength. One of them, “mehr menschenfeind” left a strong impression on me, because of its razor-edge background sound, situated somewhere between noise and music, a musical moment where the flaying tingle of distortion is particularly intense.
To sum up, DEW holds all the cards to seduce their audience: their signature sound, their relatively short song format that can allow playing effective tracks at a breathtaking pace during a show. We really liked their second album and if you don’t already know them, we encourage you to play their big sound in your apartment while waiting to see them live.
