After two good works (“Christophe-Philippe” from 2019 and the recent “Liebe” from 2022), the Bavarian band Rue Oberkampf return to the limelight with a mini-album made up of six new songs. Compositions capable of reiterating the eclectic character of the trio, always at ease between matrix passages electrowave (designed specifically for dancefloor) and sparkling and sinuous atmospheres dark.
Compared to other realities that gravitate in the same circuit (think of Minuit Machines or Nnhmn), the Rue Oberkampf are undoubtedly less homogeneous: a prerogative which, at least in appearance, could suggest a certain underlying dispersion, especially if we place the bass drum upright (with a devastating crescendo techno-Ebm) of “I Won't Surrender” to the vibrant piano notes of “Aeterna”, a short but significant epilogue sung in French by Julia De Jouy (her transalpine origins guarantee different solutions behind the microphone).
However, the invisible line that connects the various pieces of the album never stops working, fueling elegance and balance especially in the first part of the EP, where the dark electronic textures of “89 Degrees” stand out (a heartfelt thrust of synthwave) or those of the subsequent “Allein” (liquid, danceable and exquisitely pop in its melodies).
It's a shame that the trio in question (whose name takes inspiration from the Parisian street named after the German industrialist Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf) didn't want to dig in with a full-length real, beyond the succulent meat put on the fire here. But ultimately “Essenz”, despite its short duration, sounds like the perfect appetizer waiting for the final bang.
06/11/2024
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
