Wholes – Berlin

In these modern times, when bands deliver flawlessly produced yet predictable, repetitive, bland music, there are not so many music outlets that stand out. However, if you dig beneath everything presented to us on social media and streaming platforms, there are still bands that break the rules and push the boundaries of underground music. Wholes are unquestionably one of those bands you should pay attention to, as their music sounds nothing like anything you’ve heard before. With “Berlin,” their latest standalone single released via streaming platforms on September 8th, this exceptional Belgian band proves that underground music, when done right, still has so much to offer. Lyrically, “Berlin” deals with society’s collapse. It vividly explains how the capitalist system dictates our consumerist habits, keeping us unsatisfied and always craving more. It’s a disease of modern times, a behaviour etched in our everyday lives. The band uses Berlin, and the Berlin Wall in particular, to depict a very moment of a mankind falling down due to this omnipresent behaviour. Wholes employ poetic, storytelling lyricism to criticize but also share various sentiments, moods, and circumstances, making “Berlin” a highly relatable composition that will immediately resonate with the audience. Sonically, Wholes found a sweet spot by blending several different yet complementary music genres. At first, you’ll notice how garage and noise punk reign supreme here, as the band incorporated all the fundamental elements of these styles into each segment; but also, do not be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from noise rock, post-punk, post-hardcore, alternative, and new wave. All these additional genres have their purposes in this sonic equation, making “Berlin” more complex and powerful. Although the song packs a lot of raw and unfiltered anger, you’ll hear how Wholes thought about the sound quality, so this song packs all the trends in modern music production while retaining natural aggression, which is a main characteristic of the aforementioned styles. Therefore, “Berlin” will not only appeal to noise punk fans, but also to anyone who appreciates wisely assembled and perfectly executed music.

Wholes are masters in creating an addictive, hypnotic, irresistible, dark atmosphere where every vocal line, sonic and rhythmic maneuver instantly grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go long after the last notes and beats end. These folks are also masters at balancing tension and release, combining calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal moments with segments when the entire band shines with tremendous power. As soon as you press play, you’ll hear how captivating vocal performance acts as a centerpiece here, commanding attention with all the melodies and harmonies, elevating every segment to an entirely new level, and guiding listeners on an epic journey through the raw, unfiltered sonic universe. Besides decorating all the segments and orchestrations, the vocals also contribute more than necessary emotional depth and complexity. The guitars sound absolutely divine here, as their interplay shapes a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. You’ll notice how the rhythm guitar carries the majority of their fundamental sound. With all those fuzzy, heavily distorted riffs, it brings more than the necessary dirtiness that every good old noise punk song needs and deserves. On the other side, you’ll hear the lead guitar, delivering all those catchy, memorable, engaging, dark themes, melodies, harmonies, accentuations, and other sonic maneuvers. Although much cleaner, these reverby orchestrations also contribute that sweet, irresistible rawness. It’s nearly mind-blowing how all these layers articulate together without overwhelming each other, proving that Wholes thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, and producing this fine piece of sonic artistry. Beneath all these lush guitar works, you’ll notice how the equally distorted bass guitar immensely supports the rhythm guitar by bringing all the necessary warmth, depth, clarity, melody, and heaviness, all while acting as a binding element between mentioned instrumentation and rhythmic patterns. These raw, warm, deep, dense low ends articulate with tremendous power without ever overwhelming the remainder of the band, making this song as heavy, powerful, and groovy as possible. The drums play a significant role here, as they keep all the instruments in line while dictating groove and pace. All those cleverly assembled, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics are cleverly arranged and stacked together, providing even more detail to this incredible song.

Wholes are such a one-of-a-kind band. With their brilliant ideas and innovative musicianship, they deliver meaningful, powerful, captivating music that tackles all senses and forces you to think outside the box. “Berlin” is a rock-solid proof of their creativity, talent, skills, experience, and knowledge, a perfectly assembled and performed composition that will satisfy even the pickiest underground music fans. If you love your music raw, unfiltered, aggressive, yet dark, melodic, captivating, you should immediately add “Berlin” to your music radar. Do not miss this gem!