Neufundland: Grind Review

I have dived head-first into German indie music over the past year, and I have to say that whether or not you can understand the lyrics or not, Germany has probably the best collection of modern indie artists that I have encountered in recent years.

Neufundland has absolutely been the highlight of my listening history at the close of 2022. I was already hooked on their sound when I discovered their single, “Vino” (released in August), and when Grind dropped on December 2, I immediately jumped into it to get a fuller taste of what the band can pull off.

If there’s one thing to be said about Neufundland, their feel for and use of distortion and dynamics keeps you engaged from start to finish and with a contrast that makes these songs impossible to forget.

“Streiflicht” is one perfect encapsulation of the range of skill that the band shows; they use layers of guitars that range from brighter tones to dark, and allow the drums and vocals to pad the empty space so the sound resonates and gives depth. The lead singer serenades you with a tone in the verse that makes you wonder how people came to believe that German is an ugly or harsh language. The chorus forces you back after a burst of shouting as he is joined by whispers in the chorus with “Ich bin ein Streiflicht, ein Streiflicht in der Nacht/…Du streifst mich ab.” The guitars and drums follow him close behind in the background with a steady tension, surrounding your headspace with a mix of emotions both excited and dark in tone.

And still the band has fun as an indie band with bits of intimacy and transparency here and there. “Gemachte Zeit” is a more obvious example with the spoken conversation at the start, but “Vino” stands out to me as my personal favorite track with a chorus that seems to not have an end as the lyrics keep adding on and evolving after the second verse. I am left not wanting it to as the instrumentals come to an abrupt end, leaving you with just a few soft strums as the band sings “Kommst du noch vorbei auf einen Vino oder zwei” again as if you were on a quiet night out on a friend’s porch with a guitar.

There are a lot of songs that makes me painfully eager to learn German faster, but with the lyrics on Grind that I can catch, my curiosity is blown through the roof. I may not be able to experience the music scene in Germany at this time, but if there are other albums released that come anywhere near the quality that Neufundland has shown me on Grind, I cannot wait to hear them for myself.

Overall Rating: 8.7/10