Here at indieBerlin, we’re no strangers to the five-piece psych-punk outfit, Disgusting Beauty.
We interviewed the Berlin-based band back in March 2018, just ahead of the release of their eponymous debut EP. They also went on to join us at the following month’s Basement Bash, so you won’t need us to overstate this when we say: we’re fans.
In the past year, Disgusting Beauty, spearheaded by French vocalist Silver Cendrey and completed by members from Israel, Argentina and Spain, haven’t taken their collective foot off the gas. After blasting their way through a series of shows in some of Berlin’s most iconic indie venues (Monarch, Kantine am Berghain, Schokoladen to name but a few), they’re also now hitting a number of gigs in France and the UK.
In the past year, Disgusting Beauty haven’t taken their collective foot off the gas.
In December last year, the group dropped their second EP (entitled Volume 2), a collection of short, sharp bursts of their now recognisable punk-influenced sound. The EP announces itself with the growling bassline of ‘Night of the City’, with lead guitarist Francesco Parisi’s distorted riffs soon throwing their weight behind the track. From here, we’re tumbled into the rest of the EP through a minute-long techno-beat interlude (named Der Fahrgast in a sly nod to Iggy Pop). From here, the record rebounds between punk, indie and psych-rock for the next fifteen minutes.
It’s back to bass and basics with lead single ‘All About’, released in November last year. ‘I shot a man in an empty street,’ drawls Cendrey in the opening line, ‘because he seemed to be too happy’. The synth sound here reminds us of the band’s early British indie influences, the apathetic lyrics contrasting with the urgency of the instruments. The song finished with an unceremonious bump, and it’s left to closing track ‘Time to Burn’ to wind us back down to earth with a gloomy, trance-like end.
The synth sound here reminds us of the band’s early British indie influences, the apathetic lyrics contrasting with the urgency of the instruments.
Disgusting Beauty are a group fast-shaping their sound, built on the pillars of a solid punk sensibility and a sprinkling of psychedelic tropes. For those yet to catch one of their energetic live shows, the band are next playing Berlin on Friday 22nd March at Zukunft am Ostkreuz. See you down the front.
You can listen to Disgusting Beauty Vol. 2 on Spotify, YouTube or bandcamp now.
