What does Chandeen sound like?

If Lamb did indietronica.

The review of ‘the last glimpse of your life’ by Chandeen?

Whilst the project of Chandeen has been in motion for over 30 years, the current lineup of Harald Löwy and Florian Walther, with Julia Beyer on vocals came together in 2011. With this latest iteration, Chandeen continues their exploration of indie rock with big anthems, wistful lullabies and a fusion of rock and folktronica to make a creative and approachable album full of energy.

The two lead singles from the album open ‘the last glimpse of your life’ in spectacular fashion. ‘Exhale’ is exactly how I’d imagine Dido to sound if she was less pop, more rock. The lonely bass piano chords and notes accent the drum loops and isolated vocals. It is cinematic with an edge to it, letting distant guitar fuzz float in the background to create a husk of a former song. With ‘Exhale’ creating drama from audible space, ‘The Bubbles Blown’ takes the opposite approach. This track is far rockier, reminding me of the band The Jezabels. The chorus blasts in with big power chords and stirring vocals from Julia and the tumbling percussion backs it up with a powerful spine. It is a crowd-pleasing anthem designed to be sung loud in the shower and is an album highlight.

‘Broken Soldiers’ calms us down with a classic rock ballad with some clever production. The first verse and chorus turn down the volume of most of the instruments like we’ve suffered an ear-pressure-popping sonic blast. Only the vocals and piano are clearly heard before the rest of the instruments return from the second verses onwards. It reminds me of 90s rock ballads in a positive way. ‘I See Things Clear Enough’ is a toe-tapping stomp rock track channelling some Tanya Donnelly quirky-country edges. ‘Coming Of Age’ fuses rock with some very sparkly synths to give the song a dancey feel. I particularly love the entirely detuned guitar solo in the middle. It’s playful like a broken toy piano and fits the lyrical theme of not wanting to get older than we are today. initially, this track didn’t click with me but on repeated listens I’ve gelled with it. Spoken word is difficult to do in music and is marmite for me, but Chandeen does it right here.

After a selection box of rock styles, we embrace a jazzier funk ballad with ‘The River’. When the guitar isn’t blitzing the whammy bar, bluesy piano and hazy synth strings bring a dreamy lounge bar tonality to the song. We go full 1965 with electric pianos, heavy cymbal work, and a lush velvety production that turns Julia’s voice into an ethereal dream. More cinematic is ‘Somebody Else (Monsters & Dolls)’. This stop/start piano and acoustic guitar-based track is all about the atmosphere. Everything is wrapped in a mysterious shroud of effects and noise. It means when the big drums and electric guitars back up the dramatic finale, we’re primed for a cinematic conclusion. Part of what sells the drama is knowing when to focus on Julia’s hushed voice and when to overpower her. She has power and range, both of which are showcased excellently in this song, but it is her vulnerability that distinguishes her from the crowd. Having all kinds of atmospherics, guitars, and smashing percussion swamp her musically works from a music and emotional narrative perspective. The album then closes with ‘Red-Eye/24’ which is an indietronica closer that didn’t quite unleash the catharsis or satisfaction I’d hoped for after a long build-up.

Chandeen has certainly nailed understated indie-rock with small vocals and big drums. They’ve also got some big rock chops too. Whilst some of the other experiments don’t quite reach the same heights, nothing is ever boring or predictable. Instead, these songs feel like a band trying on different clothes to see what fits. I think they’ve found some perfect styles, almost like an indietronica variation of Lamb. The elements of German dreampop make Chandeen sound unique and I hope they keep exploring what makes them tick and refuse to conform to pure genres. It makes for more interesting music.

Recommended track: The Blown Bubbles

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