It’s been a while since we last heard from Cologne synth-pop band Bergfilm. On their 2017 debut album Constants, the band channeled their 80s synth pop and indie pop influences into ten tracks full of vibrant synthesizer melodies and driving rhythms. However, it was director Joscha Bongard who explored their more sinister undertones with his three videos for Bergfilm – through his impenetrable characters and their complexities, the muted colours and the eccentric imagery, Bongard bridged the distance between the cheery music and the sometimes gloomy lyrics of singer Arthur Lingk.
Bergfilm and Bongard have joined forces again for their new single Answer To Your Question, and yet quite a few things have changed. Co-produced by Bergfilm and Marvin Mauelshagen, who has replaced Christoph Franke on keyboard duties, the track eschews most of their signature synthesizers in favour of reverberating guitars, lush percussion and electric bass. Backed with Lingk’s heartfelt voice, director Bongard paints the picture of a camping holiday as if filtered through the memory of a young child.
Just like with their past work, a certain melancholia is present throughout the song; but his Answer speaks of neither worry nor resignation. ‘I reflected on my daughter’s questions about death, which had really moved me’, Lingk explains. ‘That’s when the first line of the song crossed my mind and I was sure that I’d prefer to write about little memories that would still mean something to me down the road.’
‘I then jumped into the sea and swam towards the horizon while completing the lyrics in my head. In that moment, knowing that I am immortal because of my daughter filled me with happiness. Now I imagine her listening to the song when I am long gone and how she might understand what the most important thing in life is: Love!’
Answer To Your Question, out on February 15 via Elevated Records, is their first new track since 2017’s The Line. We’ve been told there’s more to come in the following months, but for now we are very proud to exclusively present the premiere of its music video below.
