At a certain age, some people look back on their lives and feel the urge to try something new again. With Kryptik Joe von Deichkind, for example, it was the art of brewing beer. With his colleague La Perla, the science of filter coffee preparation.
Experiences like these also inspired the Nordic collective, whose members do not want their real names to be given here, to write the song “Kids In Meinm Alter”, which can be heard on their new, eighth studio album. It’s called “News from the permanent state” and will be released on February 17th.
How do you give meaning to existence?
In more than five minutes, Kryptik Joe (48) puts together what “kids” are all about at his age – the search for “breathtaking gazebos”, vegan-gluten-free-lactose-free salami pizza and a receding hairline. About people who want to stay young but look back, “free fall towards the end”. For her, one of the strongest tracks on the album in terms of content, explains Deichkind in an interview in a Berlin recording studio.
What is shown is “the desperate attempt to give meaning to existence that has been far too long,” says Porky (45). A lot of self-reflection went into it. A lot of observation, adds La Perla (43). “It’s an honest thing the way I feel about it,” says Kryptik Joe. That sounds refreshingly sincere.
What is exciting about Deichkind is her view of the zeitgeist and her talent for dissecting it with fine humour. In some lines you recognize yourself, maybe you feel caught or you have to smile about it. There is a lot to discover on “News from Permanent State”.
The album starts in the usual Deichkind manner – with fat electro beats and the finest word acrobatics: “Too many screens on/There are a few cups missing in the cupboard/Now the compass is broken, don’t look for a moment/Brain cells gone”. “Delle im Brain” can be understood as a pastiche of the overwhelmed digital society. Other songs address constant progress (“straightforward”) or the “decadent aloofness of the super-rich” (with Clueso: “Even in the Bentley people cry”).
They want to be more than a party band
While working on the new album, Kryptik Joe says he had a question on his mind. “What does the court jester do in a crisis?” Corona, climate change, the war in Ukraine. “For me, the times have become more and more chaotic and worse,” he says. They felt like a party band. “But we can’t just switch that off and say: Okay, the fans who come to us, they should forget everything and then they can celebrate what we do. The big issues that concern us should also be good flow as possible without being preachy,” he says in an interview with the German Press Agency.
At Deichkind, this also works in conjunction with the videos. “In Der Natur”, for example, describes the naïve relationship between city dwellers and city dwellers. It’s about the romanticized notion of deceleration that doesn’t stand up to reality: “I’m hanging out here in the woods/Without oat milk and heating/Here I spoil my look and the rosehip itches”. Associative images in the accompanying video make one think of climate change and war. In this way, Deichkind shows an attitude without breaking it down into one sentence, explains La Perla. You have already described yourself as a kind of Trojan horse. People can have fun and party with them. But you can also stop and reflect a bit, says La Perla. The reading is not clearly specified for them, which offers the opportunity for your own thoughts.
Deichkind are going on tour with the new album in the summer – performances are planned in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Their live shows – collective giant parties in technical perfection – complement the total work of art Deichkind and are legendary among the fans.
How important are concerts where people celebrate and are happy, actually still perceived? And what contribution do they make as musicians to society? Deichkind also dealt with questions like these during the lockdown. In the discussion about the systemic relevance of art and culture, he felt downgraded, explains Kryptik Joe, but in the discussion he found: “I’m doing exactly the right thing.” Porky looks at him, laughs and says, “I’m so glad you stopped brewing beer and started making music again.” If you listen to the new album, you agree with him.
