Fans of post-punk and noise rock will want to tune in to Die Nerven. For over a decade, the trio from southern Germany has walked that fine line between being too heavy or too poppy. There are moments of indulgent noise and pounding punk. But the group never dwells too long on a single sound, continuing to develop their sound and remain dynamic. And over the course of several albums, there is a clear and marked progression.
So this month it is time to better get to know Die Nerven and learn German with music!
Get to Know Die Nerven
The band was founded in 2010 in Esslingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. Bassist and singer Julian Knoth and guitarist and singer Max Rieger had a vision of a noisy LoFi sound. Knoth’s brother, Philipp, joined them on the drums in those early years for some singles, download-only albums, and EPs. In 2012, Kevin Kuhn stepped in as their new drummer.
Rieger’s influence in music spreads far further than just Die Nerven. He has a lengthy list of credits for producing, writing, performing, and/or recording other artists. Among those credits are Casper‘s 2022 album Alles war schön und nichts tat weh and Fabian’s self-titled 2015 album. This is in addition to a solo project called All Diese Gewalt.
Kuhn has performed in a number of other projects, including Scharping. Knoth has come together with his brother and others for Yum Yum Club and Peter Muffin Trio.
The Music of Die Nerven
Die Nerven came out swinging with their debut physical full-length release, 2012’s Fluidum. Even when the band tries to have a delicate touch, they still come off hot, wild, and intense. It is a sort of formula that the band work at perfecting over the course of several albums. It sees them pursue a musical idea just long enough to get you comfortable and then they pivot to a new idea, only to bring it all back to square one.
2014’s Fun continues in that direction but gets noisier. It varies between raw post-punk and more instrumentally focused tracks that explore a new area. There are melodies there, but they are woven into a wall of noise.
The following year Die Nerven followed it up with Out. The album starts out like a crashing storm before offering more measured moments, but the storm never fully passes until 2018’s Fake. The group’s fourth full-length release sees the group reborn, so to speak. The punk roots are clearly still there. But the noisy buzzing has given way to a somewhat funkier, more progressive sound.
Looking for another Ohrwurm to help you learn German? Check out previously featured musicians and bands!
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