Wildes: The art-pop duo resurrecting the Neue Deutsche Welle
The original Neue Deutsche Welle that electrified the West German musical underground from punk’s explosive aftermath, concurrent with the like-minded post-punks and no wavers pushing punk’s peripheries into new creative hinterlands, was a peculiarly disparate patchwork of musical flavours. Whether it was the industrial racket of Einstürzende Neubauten, Der Plan’s Dadaist theatrics, or the taut, sinewy electro of DAF, the entire NDW movement was all held together by a distinctly national sensibility, the sturdy rhythm of the German language injecting a spike of Teutonic tension that bristled with distinctly astringent energy.
“I want some action… something WILD!” is the punchy mission statement that accompanies Wildes’ various online platforms. It is a perfect mantra for the Munich art-pop duo’s piquant production and stylised songcraft, illustrated further by their name consistently in capitals for extra impact.
Formed in 2018 as an offshoot from the more straight rock ‘n’ roll group Lilit and the Men in Grey, members Jana Pantha and Jenny Tulipa decided to pursue a more direct and minimalist approach to their next project. They opt to sing in their native tongue atop motorik drum machines and hooky guitars and proffer terse, teasing vignettes of lyrical irony and sarcasm in their own playful way.
The austere foundations of Wildes’ tracks afford them the freedom to imbue each song with an extraordinary palette of sonic flavours. Deftly hopping between the original NDW’s mosaic of divergent styles, the duo are just as at ease unleashing high-energy bursts of fizzy synth-pop as they are extended moments of musique concrète, or skulking post-punk segueing to electro-soaked country (kind of). This intrepid traverse of musical terrain is forever anchored to their focused and tight songwriting, a remarkable balancing act of unreined creative adventure with a firm sense of coherency.
From their initial 2021 EP RAWWR, Wildes’ vision was already confidently realised. ‘Badeinsel’, first heard on the Alternative Fakten Vol. 1 compilation, was the perfect taster for the EP’s laconic cool: a wholly infectious mix of steel drums and jerky riffs that breeze along nonchalantly as the swimming pool floats in its video depicting idle luxury.
Last year’s debut full-length album Klischee signalled the pair was still full of ideas. ‘Leger in Schwarz’ goes full throttle with its surf-tinged garage rock (and honestly one of the best pop songs of 2023), ‘Capri’ reaches for Giorgio Moroder disco with its slinky sequencers, and there’s even a touch of plastic-coated soul on the stirring ‘Steig Ein’.
Wildes’ artful approach to pop music also informs their artwork and visual identity. Each release feels like a piece of ‘pop art’ that wants to be hung on a wall or displayed in an exhibition as much as played, Tulipa mounting a motorbike in a wedding dress on latest single ‘Liebe Attaque’s cover echoing Annie Leibovitz‘s iconic pop photography for Rolling Stone, or the striking alien deserts and futurist garb on ‘Konsum’s chic video show a band that seeks to make an impact with every dimension of the Wildes experience, “something wild” with every encounter.
With a further string of equally excellent singles including this year’s ‘So Soft’ and ‘Die Fremde’, Wildes show no signs of slowing down and hopefully looks to be just the beginning. Tulipa and Pantha are crafting some of the greatest underground pop in recent years, a masterful yet effortless blend of punk, disco, and electro that captures the frisson between the NDW’s avant-garde and contemporary pop-accessibility with thrilling results.
