Kristall Reinheit
Die Katapult

Label: Elefant Records
Release date: 2015-09-25

8.0

The label describes Die Katapult’s sound as “Mediterranean kraut-pop” and the Spanish (Elena Comas)-Swedish (Anna Fredriksson) duo’s album is named after a cleaning product and sung in German. So we’re already intrigued by what lies within before we even tear off the shrinkwrap. ‘Braun’ catches our ears immediately with its motoric beat and catchy melody, but the brass embellishments add a nostalgic, Sgt. Pepper aura and we’re off and running. The title track adds a swaying dub vibe to the proceedings (reggae-kraut?) and ‘Hallo Punkten’ expands the palette to include minimalist, Normal-styled synthy dance beats, a la ‘Warm Leatherette’.

Flip this baby over and the dance floors will surely be hopping to the seminal Depeche Mode-ish synth pop of ‘Frieden’, which also inserts some humour into the set with its ‘Popcorn’ electronic fx. Not as antiseptic as might be expected, Comas and Fredriksson add some fresh, playful sounds to the age-old electro pop spectrum, and while it may sound slightly anachronistic, it will certainly appeal to fans of minimalist 80’s electronic pop acts like Kas Product and Lizzy Mercier Descloux, as well as more modern exponents like Stereolab and Cobra Killer.