Indie electronica and post punk mashup artist K4LT has returned with his next single, “This Room (Reprise).” With the success of his previous single, “LCPD” which released almost a year ago, K4LT‘s pushing forward with new work as he continues to curate his vintage darkwave vibes but with a much faster tempo and new energy.
Hailing from Berlin, K4LT (a variance on the German “kalt”, meaning “cold”) is not shy about naming the influences for his work. His love for vintage synths comes from artists like Mogwai, Low, Washed Out and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. For “This Room (Reprise),” he even speaks in detail about which bits were inspired by which artist.
The song is a reference to “This Room” by The Notwist and includes a few other references like the “Swim and sleep like me” which references to “Swim and Sleep” from Unknown Mortal Orchestra and also the armour pads line referring to “Paper Boats” from Nada Surf.
But that’s not all there is to it. With his favorite tool, the Suzuki Omnichord which was popular in the 80s, K4LT is able to create a a sound which most listeners will find unique and different to its requisite influences. K4LT has also largely turned away from the bigger rock sounds of his first EP, 2021’s Endgame. With “LCPD ” and “This Room,” and it’s clear with the latter, he’s embraced his electronica sound even more, as the tempo is faster, the beat heavier and the guitar minimal, though still there and still an important part of the song.
In terms of what K4LT means to convey with this new track, he’s as observational as ever with his lyrics. The dystopian, darkwave vibe matches the point he wishes to make, which is about the loss of connection in relationships in the age of the doomscroll.
It’s an evolution marked by the creeping influence of shadowy undercurrents, cultivating a genre that relishes exploring darker themes and deeper introspection. Within this world is where one will find enigmatic Berlin-based musician and producer, K4LT. This is where he thrives, elegantly crafting an amalgam of diverse sounds, and soaking in the hues of love’s spectral shadow.
The song is about the experience of more and more of your friends (and probably yourself too a bit) turn into modern day hermits, giving up on parts of life like relationships or having fun in life at all. Just trying to make it without giving any efforts into what would make them truly happy. And the songwriter being afraid how that ends (reading the “list of deaths per year”). In the end the song is about not accepting this defeats and fighting to get up, be motivated (“up to interfere”).
Never one to shy away from touch subject matter, K4LT uses the tone and pace of the music in “This Room (Reprise)” to really drive home the feeling of being on a hamster wheel with technology and the paralysis in the more important parts of life that can come with it. Using his eerie Omnichord and a strong post punk sensibility, K4LT is able to make the listeners really feel “This Room,” the room that many of us feel stuck in. A powerful statement, and it seems K4LT is just getting started.
“This Room (Reprise)” is out now.
