19. January 2026
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Media Review

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

AnnenMayKantereit - Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir

AnnenMayKantereit - Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir
4.4

Rating

 4.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very good storytelling and production
  • Very characteristic vocals

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Too similar on the vocal side

They started as a school band in my home town and gained global reputation: AnnenMayKantereit released their fourth album Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir (“It is evening and we are sitting at my place”) on 3rd March 2023. Even though I am not their biggest fan, I just had to have a listen.

 

 

AnnenMayKantereit – About The Artists

AnnenMayKantereit is a pop-rock band from Cologne. The weird-sounding band name becomes rather clear when you look at the founding members’ names: Christopher Annen (guitar), Henning May (vocals, piano, ukulele and others) and Severin Kantereit (drums / cajon) were all students at the Schiller-Gymnasium (similar to High School) in Cologne. They are all active members. In the meantime, they are working with the third bassist. The position is taken by Sophie Chassee. They already had quite some sucess with their debut EP Wird schon irgendwie gehen. The single Oft gefragt has been a triple golden record in Germany and a golden record in Austria.

The 2016 debut album Alles nix Konkretes finally gave them a massive boost. The album lead the German and Austrian charts. It was double platinum in their home country and platinum in Austria. Even though the following two albums did not make it that well, they were both very successful. Remarkably, AnnenMayKantereit also have a golden record in the USA. In 2019, they released a cover of Suzanne Vega’s Tom’s Diner, together with the German art-pop band Giant Rooks, which lead to that international success.

 

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir – Track by Track

The fifteen track album lasts 50 minutes

1. Lass es kreisen

The opener is driven by the cool bass grooves created by Sophie Chassee. Not only that she is delivering the first tunes of the song, she groove is a cool element. The song has a hip hop character, but the bass also makes it feel a bit like a blues-pop song. Cool track, which works with a wide range of different elements.

2. 3 Tage am Meer

The title of this song translates to “Three days at the sea” and reflects how you take the time at the water to relax, cool down and find yourself again. While the song starts with acoustic guitar sounds, there is some bass groove and synth-alike pop elements later as well. Good one.

3. Es ist Abend

The title track describes nothing but an evening with friends… and some alcohol. The song has a slightly dark and melancholic touch, even though the rhythmic work keeps a pop music feeling.

4. Lottoscheine

These three and a half minutes are dedicated to “Lottery Tickets”.  However, the song is about a potential break-up, unhappy love. The dark voice by Henning May is so intense in here. Great song.

Meine Blicke so wie Lottoscheine
Ich glaube weiter an mein Glück
Deine Worte wie Pfeile
Wenn sie treffen, gibt es kein zurück

(“My glimpse like lottery tickets
I still believe in my luck
Your words are like arrows
If they hit, there is no way back”)

5. Katharina

Katharina is one of the core tracks of the album to me. Especially in contrast to Lottoscheine, the song is more rocking. I simply enjoy listening to this track.

6. Verliebt sein

The short Verliebt sein (“Being in love”, 2:15 minutes) does not need too many more sounds than May’s voice and the acoustic-alike strumming of a guitar. The song has a nice folk music touch.

7. Ausgehen

Almost 65 million streams on Spotify, 20 million views on YouTube – this track is already an AnnenMayKantereit classic. A track, which stays in your mind – and had sufficient time to do so… The Cologne band already released it in 2020. 

8. Erdbeerkuchen

Und der Erdbeerkuchen, den musst Du mal versuchen – “And the strawberry cake, you just have to try it”. The eighth song has a summer vibe and feels like a happy blues rocker. The song praises all the things you enjoy doing in summer and early fall.

9. Heute Abend wird es regnen

The ninth song has a touch time to carry over the summer vibes of the predecessor. Already in the first verse, May states Ich glaube heute abend wird es regnen – “I believe today evening there will be rain”. Again, the unique sound of May’s voice turns the nice ditty into a catching listen.

10. Weisshaussstraße

Weisshausstraße, Ecke Uni-Center is the location in which the tenth song is located. Not the nicest spot in Cologne – but a place where the friends made some experiences. Or “adventures, as you can only have them when you are young” as the press kit is stating. Very intense songwriting.

11. Kein Stern

Kein Stern (“No star”) is a rather slow and rocking song . The song is praising playing soccer and what the sports means to May (he is stating “there is no star which shines like the floodlight over the cinder pitch”).

12. Als ich ein Kind war

Another looking back in time. The rhythm of this song feels Latin American, the song is praising the youth experience, also compared to the current generation. Als ich ein Kind war, gab es kein Insta – “When I was a child, there was no Insta(gram)”. The brass sounds lead to additional melancholy.

13. Du tust mir nie mehr weh

The title of the last single release (so far) on the album translates to “You don’t hurt me any more”. Rather dark guitar sounds with a nice groove. Overall, the song does not catch me as much as other tracks of the album.

14. Orangenlied

Why not having an “Oranges Song”? That’s at least the translation of the title of this track. The song is about looking back in time and missing beloved ones. Like thinking about old times while peeling oranges – “just as my father does”, how the band is stating.

15. Tommi

AnnenMayKantereit typically sing in standard German. The more, the closing track is special, as the band is using Cologne-style German in here. A nice reference to their home town – even though the song with the nice piano lines is not having the most solid musical foundation.

 

 

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir – My View

The 2023 AnnenMayKantereit album illustrates the excellence of the band. The key driver is great songwriting and a beautiful touch in telling stories. The song are just perfectly tailored towards the voice of Henning May. This is also the part which makes me struggle a bit about Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir. Even though the songs as such have quite a wide range, May is too constant in this game. He sounds too similar. But that’s just a sidenote in a good album

 

 

Postings about Cologne

Here are all postings about my home town Cologne:

 

Flyctory Obscura

Flyctory Obscura-tagged reviews represent weird, unique, entertaining places of all kind:

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