Numavi Records Press Cryptic Commands – Long Distance Call
Cryptic Commands – Long Distance Call
lo fi pop
ALBUM RD: APRIL 22 2022
digitalL I V E session July 2021 at Eidexberg
2nd single Wide AwakeCamera: Moritz OstanekEditing: Gudrun Becker
STREAM Long Distance Call HERE
On their third album Long Distance Call, the Graz-based band Cryptic Commands remains rich in variety. Whether it is modern indie pop with a pinch of post-punk (Trickster), slowly starting and explosively discharging noise rock (Comedian) or slacker 90ies indie rock (Devil) – Cryptic Commands use a variety of genres and create something unique from them. Dreamy parts and emotional peaks alternate and create an exciting dynamic. The result are experimental pop songs with recognition value.
“I can take any shape or form, essence I got none. I can show you who you are or could become.” (Trickster). In the song lyrics the question of one’s own place in the world, one’s own role, is negotiated. This happens in the form of an expedition: through swamplands, where the devil motivates hedonistic partying (Devil) and natural spirits change their appearance in the rhythm of the seasons (Elemental), into a run-down apartment, where a washed-up entertainer mourns the past (Comedian) or into a valley littered with pits, where a gold-digger pursues his dream of a future in wealth (Wide Awake). The construction of one’s identity and the desire for change, as well as the fear of it, run like a thread through all these narratives.
The quartet’s music impresses with its versatility: Musically, Cryptic Commands can be located in the broad field of 90s indie rock. Poppy guitar melodies, interspersed with noise passages, meet post-punky bass lines and driving drum beats. The change of perspective in the form of two varying lead singers and lyricists gives the music independence.
The result are compositions, mostly under three minutes, which are characterized by compact songwriting and varied arrangements.Their 2019 album Modern Talking impressed with alert confidence, respectable renitence and stylistic diversity, proved that traditional indie rock can exude timeless power and meaning. Now follows the album Long Distance Call (2022).