Fresh from playing a huge show in Manchester as guests to Pixies and earning airplay from 6 Music and Amazing Radio for their recent single ‘Disguiser’, Klangstof now share the new track ‘Plastic Gun’. Both ‘Plastic Gun’ and ‘Disguiser’ feature on their upcoming album ‘Godspeed To The Freaks’, which will be released on September 16th.
As ‘Disguiser’ suggests, this latest chapter in the Klangstof journey finds the trio heading in a stranger direction, with the boundaries between darkness and light blurring beyond recognition. Initially ‘Plastic Gun’ is fairly minimalist, with hushed vocals, pulsating bass and sparse percussion providing a spacious sound with an unsettlingly claustrophobic vibe. It grows in stature as the song evolves, with sweetly sinister synth-pop the soundtrack to its frayed, anxious lyrics. The track is accompanied by a lo-fi video, which again stars their macabre mascot, the creepy rabbit that adorns their artwork.
Koen van de Wardt says, “‘Plastic Gun’ was meant as an homage to my teenage self. I remember walking along the streets in the middle of the night towards a lover but every time I got closer, I freaked out and walked back home. I still to this day I get panic attacks when there are too many people around. I start to feel unwanted and just have to get out. I think now I can manage it better and avoid certain situations, but as a young dude this was incredibly frustrating.”
‘Plastic Gun’ was written in a similar way to much of the ‘Godspeed…’ album. Klangstof started from a foundation of just bass and drums, which opened up a world of possibilities that were different to what normally emerges when they write on guitar or piano. The trio – completed by Wannes Salomé and Erik Buschman – were joined by their touring guitarist Wouter Van Nienes as they experimented with the intuitive approach of simply playing in a room together.
That live approach was given an additional edge as they set-up a studio in the music venue De Bolder on Vlieland, a small island just north of the Dutch mainland. It was an escapist experience in which Klangstof produced the sessions themselves, far from distractions or external influences. Afterwards, however, they called on top tier collaborators to bring the project to its full potential, with mixing by Sam Petts-Davies (Radiohead, Frank Ocean), mastering by Heba Kadry (Björk, Slowdive, Big Thief), and photography by Anton Corbijn (U2, Nick Cave, R.E.M.).
‘Godspeed To The Freaks’ will be the third album from the Edison Award (the Dutch Grammy / BRIT equivalent) winners. Musically its groove-laden live feel is a counterpoint to the electronic focus of their previous album, 2020’s ‘The Noise You Make Is Silent’. Thematically, it’s focused on using reflection as the basis to make a positive change: confront your issues head-on but make peace with those that you can’t change.
Klangstof’s touring plans have been boosted by the announcement details of a UK tour in September as guests to The Slow Readers Club. They will again team up with Pixies for further European shows in August, and they will also play the Rock en Seine festival. They will then reconnect with Pixies in December for shows across Australia and New Zealand. The shows with The Slow Readers Club are listed below, please see the Klangstof website for a full list of dates and ticket information.
SEPTEMBER – WITH THE SLOW READERS CLUB
9th – Sheffield, Leadmill
10th – Paisley, Spree
11th – Liverpool, O2 Academy 1
16th – Newcastle, University
17th – Hull, Welly
18th – Chester, Live Rooms
22nd – Stoke, Sugarmill
23rd – Norwich, Waterfront
24th – Oxford, O2 Academy 2
25th – Brighton, Patterns
