JULIAN KNOTH (Die Nerven, Peter Muffin Trio, Die Benjamins, Yum Yum Club and Njelk) releases his first solo album. It is titled UNSICHTBARES MEER. During the pandemic-stricken year of 2020, Knoth wrote several songs that didn't really fit any of his bands. Just his voice and an acoustic guitar. Lyrics so raw and personal that it quickly became clear: This is a solo album. "I understood a lot of things during that time," Knoth says. Self-discovery, depression, consumption, abstinence, therapy, hope.

The recordings are gritty, JULIAN KNOTH works with overdrive, delay, and imperfection. His voice is close, fragile, and honest. An album for walks in the rain and live performances in record stores, somewhere between folk and lo-fi. No noise behind which Knoth could hide. The theme of water as a lyrical motif flows through UNSICHTBARES MEER sometimes murky, sometimes clear, often endless and unfathomable. The album is influenced by Timber Timbre, Johnny Cash, Cat Power, Feist, and Adrienne Lenker.

UNSICHTBARES MEER begins in a cave of depression. "Kein Lied" and "Der Regen" are dark and search for stability. Just voice and guitar. Then strings on "Unsichtbares Meer". A search for hope. On "Hinterhof der Welt", this search expands, with drums, saxophone, and bass. "Nimmt die Blätter mit" wafts through the room, playing with distortion and reverb. Something is in the air, something unknown that Knoth himself cannot yet quite grasp.

"I started writing this album alone in the depths of depression and melancholy. In the end, it became a collaborative project with many friends," says JULIAN KNOTH. "Ohne Namen" dreams of utopias and of starting a new life. On "Gestern hatte ich noch einen Traum", string instruments are added, played by the Trio Abstrich. "Morgen fängt der Ernst des Lebens an" is a mantra, it goes on. Towards the end, melancholy, instrumental on "Endloser Ozean". A plan. Light on the horizon. On "Nie wieder allein", the search is over. Many voices, a choir, a message. It gets bright again.

Credits
Text: Niko Kappel
Image:  Marina Buneta