Nearly five years after the release of Sci-Fi Sky, Lebanon Hanover has produced your favorite soundtrack for a visit in a psychiatry clinic: Asylum Lullabies.
The European darkwave duo have embarked on a North American tour that includes a local show at Black Cat on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
This is the evolution of an even colder, more caustic sound by a band that has dominated the Post Punk landscape for over a decade.
Asylum Lullabies is a very heavy album about dealing with mental health struggles, a breakup, and ongoing wars, and the current horror in the world, ultimately leaving one consumed with dread, fear, and a constant feeling of being crushed. Everything falls apart at the same time.
Yet, there are also songs about love and the protection it brings. Members Larissa Iceglass and William Maybeline wrote these songs in polarizing circumstances, but have produced a cohesive album with Asylum Lullabies.
Consider the single “Torture Rack,” which picks up the Cocteau Twins sound of the 2023 Lebanon Hanover track “Kyiv” to the theme of a tortuous love.
Watch the official music video for “Torture Rack” by Lebanon Hanover on YouTube:
Lebanon Hanover formed in 2010. The name comes from two towns in New Hampshire, USA. The band consists of Larissa Iceglass from Germany and British musician William Maybelline. Their music gives a cold and stripped-down answer to the alienation of today’s world. The sound is rooted in the 1980s and shaped by post-punk traditions.
This dark wave duo draws inspiration from Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and Bauhaus. Minimalist electronics and nostalgic melodies define their style. Larissa Iceglass adds a distinctive voice that completes the identity of the band. These traits secured their place among leading names of the modern post-punk and gothic scene.
The band carries a romantic sensibility. They find inspiration in art nouveau, the British coastline, and forests. Berlin’s urban landscape also shaped their sound and image. Their aesthetics blend melancholy and nostalgia with avant-garde ideas of the 20th century.
Lebanon Hanover
W/ Jim E. Brown
Black Cat
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Doors @ 7:30pm
$47.15
All ages
