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Skuppin – Reliquen

Florian Buechting Media Review No Comments

Skuppin - Reliquien

Skuppin - Reliquien
4.4

Rating

 4.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Well written, atmospheric songs
  • Entertaining without being boring
  • Impressing listen

Quite early before the release of Reliquien, I receved the first press information about the debut album by German artist Skuppin. With his debut EP, the synth-pop artist already drew some attention and good critics. Let’s have a look how he is sounding on a long-play. The album has been released on 2nd February 2024.

 

Skuppin – About The Artist

Skuppin is an artist from Chemnitz in Germany. He is a rather new act in the German synth-pop scene. In February 2022, he released his debut single Taumeln, which was also the closing track of Garten Eden. This debut EP has been released in November the same year.  He his part of the Neue Neue Deutsche Welle music movement. Steven Skuppin is also known as a very talented photographer.

 

Skuppin – Reliquien – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 35 minutes.

1. Verlierer

The opener Verlierer (meaning: “looser”) is also the track which is naming Skuppin’s first headline tour (see below). The song deals with growing up, feeling like an outsider. Saxony right after the German reunion had a certain negative image, which might not be too valid any more nowdays. Nonetheless, the song is a good listen

2. Funke

The dark wave and synth pop sound of Skuppin is very often also reflected in stories of his songs. In this song, for example, he states Ich bin ein Mensch ohne Liebe – “I am a human without love”. A very melancholic, desparate theme. Despite you might not smile and jump around happily while listening to songs like this, Skuppin definitely knows how to give you an impressing listen.

3. Cyborg

The third track Cyborg opens a block of four previously unreleased songs. The key phrase of the track is Hab’ ich noch einen Traum übrig, einen Traum von Dir. It translates to “Is there still a dream left? A dream of you”. The space-alike synth melody feels like a great fit to that.

4. Müde/Wach

Müde / Wach translates to “Tired / Awake”. After the rather dark and heavy sounds at the beginning of the album, this one feels comparably light and melodic. This is a nice contrast, definitely.

5. Böses Blut

This 4.26 minutes song is the longest one of the album. The choral-alike sound of some Skuppin songs is especially intense in here. The synth part does have quite a lot of presence in here, even though some parts are a bit of repetitive.

6. Tropfen Wasser

Long one – short one: This song about a “drop of water” is shorter than two minutes. It does have a quite intense rhythm, but overall feels like an interlude track to me. Tropfen Wasser is instrumental only.

7. Vergiss mein nicht

The 12th January 2024 release Vergiss mein nicht has been the latest feature single before the album release. Again, there is a very present rhythm, which adds some more relaxed dancing vibes to Reliquien.

8. Teufel

According to the song title, the “Devil” is next in line in this album. The track definitely pushes the mood back, more towards a dark and melancholic sound. However, I feel it is a rather good listen, which stays in your mind and also comes with a rather surprising bridge.

9. Phantom

Phantom has been Skupin’s Halloween release in 2023. The press kit states that the song was inspired by the Phantom of the Opera story. Two facts which do not really suggest that this one is a happy listen. Of course, it ain’t – but it is the best track of fhe album to me.

10. Himmel / Hölle

After the contrasting Müde / Wach at the beginning of the album, this song is about heaven & hell.  The more, the song surprises when it presents its ditty-alike main theme. The dialectic title is reflected in different sections of the song as well. Nice.

11. Raum aus Sand

Some press articles about the Chemnitz artist I read compared Skuppin with German dark wave legend Joachim Witt. The closing song is the one which is likely closest to that key artist of the German 1980’s music scene, who is still successful nowadays. Raum aus Sand definitely stays in your mind, even after you stopped listening to Reliquien.

 

Skuppin – Reliquien – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Skuppin – Reliquien – My View

I am not that much into dark wave sounds – so it took me a while to get into the album. However, the more I listened to Skuppin’s Reliquien, the more I loved it. The atmosphere of the songs is just very well composed and very relatable. This is not an album which cheers you up if you are in a bad mood, though.

Favorite Song: Phantom

 

Skuppin – Verlierer Tour 2024

Just a week after the album release, Skuppin is on tour in Germany. The support bands vary by location. It is his first headliner tour.

Fr 09.02.2024 Munich – kult9
Th 15.02.2024 Hamburg – Goldener Salon
Fr 16.02.2024 Berlin – Monarch
Tu 20.02.2024 Mainz – schöm schön
We 21.02.2024 Nuremberg – Muz
Fr 23.02.2024 Stuttgart – Werkstatthaus
Sa 24.02.2024 Cologne – Tsunami Club
Sa 09.03.2024 Leipzig – Moritzbastei

 

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