Cold Summer, a Leipzig-based quartet known for their dark, eerie, garage, post-punk sound, are back with their latest 12” release, Den Umständen entsprechend, which roughly translates to “According to the Circumstances.” This record is less an exercise in songwriting and more an act of necessary sonic exorcism, offering a direct, angrier, and more haunting commentary on the contemporary moment than they’ve ever delivered before. If you’re looking for sunshine and optimism, walk away now. This is a record for anyone who feels the creeping, constant dread of modern life and just needs to hear someone else screaming about it. Cold Summer isn’t here to cheer you up, but to validate your worst moods. The style they brandish, “depro-punk,” is perfectly descriptive. It’s the sound of deep depression translated into pure punk rock velocity. It’s got the raw, straightforward punch of classic punk rock that forces your head to start involuntarily nodding, but it’s twisted with the atmospheric tension and sonic gloom of post-punk. This combination is what makes the record so uncompromising. You get the relentless dynamics of the angry stuff, but overlaid with a dark foreboding that makes the whole experience feel heavy, not just hectic. There are moments where the sound is straightforward and raw, built from pure garage grittiness, but then they let a little unexpected playfulness sneak in. That small injection of chaotic energy isn’t there to lighten the mood, but to show how unhinged the frustration actually is. It’s the sonic equivalent of laughing too hard at a completely inappropriate moment. The guitars, drums, and vocals are all working in full sync to drive their own internal sense of frustration forward, creating a relentless and incredibly precise musical experience. It’s a focused, furious sonic attack aimed squarely at everything that feels wrong right now.
Lyrically and thematically, Den Umständen entsprechend acts as an immediate, unvarnished, and relentless snapshot of the spirit of the present. The driving force behind these five songs is the hopelessness of everyday life, that nagging feeling that the structures we live within are actively working against us. This isn’t abstract, philosophical angst, but an angry commentary directed at the systems and norms that make modern living feel like a dystopian fever dream. Cold Summer doesn’t bother with metaphors or subtlety. They simply articulate the collective sigh of resignation and rage felt by anyone trying to navigate a world that equates human value with production and participation, even when the whole show feels rigged. By channeling this external pressure and internal despair into depro-punk, they create a cathartic ambiance. They take that universal feeling of being totally stuck and turn it into a high-energy call to arms, even if that call to arms is just recognizing that you’re not the only one feeling haunted. It’s uncompromising, full of emotion, and totally necessary, transforming individual frustration into a shared, loud moment of defiance.
The creation and presentation of this record are just as important as the sound itself, cementing Cold Summer’s dedication to an authentic, unpolished ethos. The album was recorded in their own rehearsal room by Anton Hoyer, which explains why the sound has such an intimate, raw, and immediate feeling,like the band is playing right inside your head. This choice ensures the music retains that essential garage grime, preventing the punk rock energy from getting too polished. It exemplifies the fact that their message is more important than achieving slick, distant production. The physical release itself is a crucial element of their statement: a one-sided 12″ with screen printing. This vinyl, both sonically and visually, insists that the album is an artifact, something physical that demands attention and commitment, much like the themes within. It’s a rejection of fleeting consumption, forcing listeners to engage directly with the five songs they have created. This entire package, from the recording style to the physical format, is a cohesive expression of a band that is deeply true to itself and its genre. Den Umständen entsprechend is a vital, furious dispatch from the cold, hard reality of Leipzig, leaving you feeling utterly chilled but also charged up. It’s the perfect soundtrack for the angry, haunting year we’re all living through. Head to It’s Eleven Records for more information about ordering.
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