Vertigo Days is the new album for German artist’s The Notwist. Their musical style is comprised of melancholy pop, electronica, Krautrock, and driftwork ballads. to its international musical guests. The trio of Markus and Micha Acher and Cico Beck are reaching out: as Markus reflects, “we wanted to question the concept of a band by adding other voices and ideas, other languages, and also question or blur the idea of national identity.” It’s been six years since The Notwist’s last album, Close To The Glass and in that time the various members of the group have been busy with side projects (Spirit F est, Hochzeitskapelle, Alien Ensemble, Joasihno), guest appearances, a record label (Alien Transistor), movie scoring, helping organise the Minna Miteru compilation of Japanese indie pop & running a festival (Alien Disko). Those divergent paths feed back into Vertigo Days in surprising ways, from its structure, built from group improvisations, with songs flowing and melting into one another in a collective haze, to its spirit, which feels refreshed and alive. There’s something cinematic about Vertigo Days too, reflective of the group’s time working on soundtracks, and reflected in the rich, moody photographic artwork by Lieko Shiga that adorns the cover.

The first sign of this newfound openness was the album’s lead single, “Ship”, where the group were joined by Saya of Japanese pop duo Tenniscoats, her disarmingly hymnal voice sighing over a propulsive, Krautrocking beat. Elsewhere, American multi- instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay sings on “Oh Sweet Fire”, also contributing “a love lyric for these times, imagining two lovers in an uprising hand in hand.” American jazz clarinettist and composer Angel Bat Dawid adds clarinet to the spaced-out dream-pop of “Into The Ice Age”, while Argentinian electronica songwriter Juana Molina gifts singing and electronics to “Al Sur”. Saya also reappears as a member of Japanese brass band Zayaendo, who guest on the album. Throughout, The Notwist also capture the openness of their live performances, too, where they mix and link their songs in unexpected ways.

The Notwist
Vertigo Days
Track Listing
375/Morr Music

1. Al Norte
2. Into Love / Stars
3. Exit Strategy To Myself
4. Where You Find Me
5. Ship
6. Loose Ends
7. Into The Ice Age
8. Oh Sweet Fire
9. Ghost
10. Sans Soleil
11. Night’s Too Dark
12. *stars*
13. Al Sur
14. Into Love Again

Vertigo Days by The Notwist is available to pre-order here