The Sick Man Of Europe

A persistent, pumping, post-punk pulse pounds this eponymous debut ever onward, driving the baritone vocals and twitching electronics along like a sleek convoy hypnotically motoring through the night, into our awaiting ears.

The Sick Man Of Europe name connects the current post-Brexit landscape to the austerity of Thatcherite Britain and the social conditions that shaped the likes of Bauhaus and Joy Division. These are touchstones for TSMOE, but the influence and discipline of Neu!, Suicide and Swans are just as intrinsic to the sound. Emerging from London’s underground music scene, The Sick Man Of Europe is distinctly monochrome in its outlook. Each note counts in this climate – economical but played with absolute precision and conviction. Propelled forward by machines and seeking solace in repetition.

There are echoes of the post-punk and European art rock pioneers at the cusp of the 80s, but re-tooled for the present. The same fears. Looking for answers or something to believe in, but finding more questions in an age of absolutes.

‘Blends pulsating motorik beats, nagging basslines and droning electronics into all-consuming atmospheres. Fronted By Foreboding Vocals That Sit Somewhere Between Ian Curtis’ Melancholic Baritone And Something More Experimental, Phrases Are Repeated Over And Over Like Mantras, Slowly Building In Intensity Until The Words Take On Entirely New Meanings’ - Electronic Sound