Danish brothers Communions reveal new single 'Splendour', out now via Tambourhinoceros.
Danish brothers Communions explore the line between loving something, and allowing it to control you on ‘Splendour’, their first offering following the band’s signing to respected Copenhagen indie and hometown label Tambourhinoceros (School of X, Palace Winter, Pardans).
On the new single, Martin Rehof reflects
“Splendour is about a sickly, unattainable love. One which possesses a destructive power. I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily about a specific person. Rather, in a less concrete sense, it’s about the oppressive power that certain things in life can have over you.”
He continues,
“For instance, making art is something I love, but not something I feel I can help, and often it can be quite painful and fruitless. It’s like this thing, whatever it is, has chosen you, and not the other way around. It might inflict you with pain, but you almost come to enjoy it; you sort of accept it, embrace it, and maybe even thrive on it. It’s the context of someone addicted to someone or something else — where the power dynamics are skewed.”
Whilst previously recognisable as a four piece, the new era for Communions focuses solely on the creative partnership between founders and brothers Mads and Martin Rehof. Whilst they emerge from the Copenhagen scene which spawned industrial/post-punk predecessors like Iceage, Pardans, Vår, and Lower - Communions straddle the line toward a more playful and optimistic sound - an alternative insight into the city’s burgeoning scene.
Fusing elements of shoegaze, post-punk and indie rock, they bridge the gap between those aforementioned acts and indie pop acts like Liss and new-era Lust For Youth. The brothers spent a large part of their formative years growing up in the suburban outskirts of Seattle, naturally connecting with the underground milieu of their surroundings; absorbing influence from the hardcore-punk music and skate communities.
Moving back to Copenhagen in their mid teens, they attended a progressive high school which bordered Freetown Christiania (the city's controversial self-governing free community) and frequented the infamous fringe practice space and venue Mayhem.
These dual experiences directly shaped the band’s sonic origins.
Their forthcoming music now represents another shift in the Communions aesthetic, starting with the restructure of the band after the departure of their long-time bandmates Jacob van Deurs Formann (guitar) and Frederik Lind Köppen (drums), who still feature on ‘Splendour’ and future recordings.
With their brotherly musical connection now at the forefront, Martin & Mads have assembled a new five piece constellation. Where their first EP Cobblestones, (released whilst still in high school) drew inspiration from the underground scene’s punk cynicism, the band steadily refined their craft across two following EPs and debut album Blue (2017), riding a wave of international attention and festival performances. Marked by sharp cultural criticism, self reflection, and artistic commentary of a grand scale, Communions’ new music takes the signature indie rock from the dark clubs of their youth and merges it with full-fleshed cerebral critique and symbolism. ‘Splendour’ is the anticipated first-look at the band’s bright and decisive new chapter.
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