PRESS

"Electropop of the year 2024, that's WHOLE. [...] Post punk and new wave in the here and now, that's WHOLE. Indie and electro pop of the present, that's still WHOLE a moment later. One second the listeners imagine themselves in the cold of the eternal ice, and in the next they're in the most beautiful cathedral on earth." - Saitenkult (GER)

"It's striking how the two manage to endow each of the many offerings used with originality, without placing stylistic limits and, above all, without ever losing their way. [...] Ten songs of absolute quality and undisputed level that have a thousand arrows in their bow to hit the mark with a wide and transversal audience, from synthrock to darkwave, from post-punk to synthpop [...] WHOLE return with an even more mature, creative and wide-ranging work, in which both protagonists pour ideas that are never banal and always engaging, working in perfect synergy with voices and instrumentation for a result that stands out for its originality" - Darkroom Magazine (ITA)

"Shows a very positive development, especially in the sound and flow of the album [...] the Hydra now winds its way elegantly through the thicket of sound. [...] But be careful, a Hydra is not a petting zoo animal. Donat and Schernikau have no interest in committing themselves to a genre. Here they dock onto dark wave, indie, post-punk and a few other styles, without the powerfully arranged sound seeming arbitrary. In general, it must be said that the sound and arrangements are the album's great strengths." - depechemode.de (GER)

""Hydra" shows what synthpop can sound like in 2024: relaxed and at the same time ambitious, traditional and innovative. [Schernikau and Donat] form a project that combines the strengths of both musicians. [Y]ou can see how they mutually enrich each other, but each also gives the other space to position themselves. Songs like "Ten Commandments" and "Beast" celebrate the Gahan'ish impenetrability. Thanks to Schernikau's tightly tuned voice, fans of Depeche Mode's earlier works in particular will quickly become friends with these songs and at the same time come into contact with Donat's sound universe which manifests itself unfiltered in the songs "Valson" and "Floodmarker". Sometimes the two meet halfway; this results in songs like "I Am Your Shadow" or "Morricone", in which the surreal sound creations of Donat and Schernikau's clear understanding of pop mesh perfectly. [...] It's about the joy of melancholic music. You can hear that in every note." - Unter.Ton (GER)

"If you want to know what electro pop / synth pop should sound like in 2024, be sure to listen to "Hydra". It does not just sound like traditional electro pop. The compositions are intelligent and diverse, from the atmospheric and beautiful “Valson” or “I Am Your Shadow” with a clear 80s reference to compositions that nod to Depeche Mode such as the smooth “Beast” or “Ten Commandments”. But there's also the more trippy “Rip” where the singing style is somewhat reminiscent of Robert Smith. [...] “Sudden Hydra” sounds like playful 80s synth pop, while the more spicy and repetitive “Dear Dear” has a post punk influence and reminds me somewhat of Soft Cell. “Flagstone” and Morricone” as textbook examples of contemporary, dreamy synth pop." - Dark Entries (BEL)

"[N]ever anything less than great to listen to [...] an interesting mix of styles over the forty seven minute runtime. The ten track album has a strong start with 'Beast', a four and a half minute eighties sounding song that gave me Timothy Dalton era James Bond vibes. [...] Most unusual was 'Dead Deer', I loved the attention grabbing opening of repeated lines that leads into an almost rap style sound. [G]uaranteed for a good sound and an album that flows well from track to track." - The Rotting Zombie (UK)

"The 10 songs they perform here in over 45 minutes are extremely catchy and harken back to the 80s in an original way, but they manage to translate that completely to the here and now. It's good old-fashioned enjoyment!" - De Subjectivisten (NL)

"On their second album, they devote themselves to classic synth pop, as it was en vogue in the 80s. But instead of just paying homage to Depeche Mode or Camouflage, they add another layer that makes it sound significantly more indie. And that suits the record extremely well. The fact that the individual tracks are (once again) extremely excitingly composed is the icing on the cake. [T]hey move extremely skillfully within [the genre] and create original sounds that should appeal not only to genre purists but also to dark wave and post-punk fans." - Legacy - The Voice From The Dark Side (GER)

"[WHOLE] seem to just be getting warmed up [...] HYDRA sees the two Berliners sharpening the creative tools utilized on 2018’s BIAS to carve out their own niche in the realms of darkwave and synthpop."
"[T]he production on HYDRA is multifaceted in its approach to making the old waves new again, particularly in the rather excessive use of reverb to give the album a processional ambience, as if the band were performing the album in a cathedral. This also extends to the robust compositions, many of which begin with the implication of the standard pop formula before proceeding on their own deviations." - ReGen Magazine (USA)

"[A] musical road trip that takes us through an auditory landscape as multifaceted as the mythological creature it is named after [...] a testament to the Berlin duo's constant evolution in the world of electronic indie rock. [...] Each track on the album is like a head of the hydra, unique and challenging. “Beast” begins the album with an energy that sets the tone for the journey to come, taking us back to a time of The Cure. [...] “Floodmarker” (another Depeche Mode-influenced song), “Rip” and “Flagstone” are examples of how WHOLE can create different musical environments on the same album. The closing with “Morricone” could be said to be the perfect ending" - Other Voices (SPA)

"A record that radiates variety and lightness [...] dedicated to a modern and imaginative synthpop formula, and a love for postpunk that explores every corner and every possible element of this genre. [...] Opener “Beast”, dominated by a melancholic mood but not devoid of liveliness, can be considered emblematic for the elegance and harmony which, in truth, are present almost everywhere on the album. Immediately after, “'Sudden Hydra”, one of the most interesting episodes, despite being faithful to the style we were talking about and which is now consolidated, is characterized by a varied and complex arrangement where the hand of Donat is perceived, unquestionably a specialist in electronic." - Ver Sacrum (ITA)

"8/10 - The Hydra is a many-headed monster that grows two new heads when it loses one. Its breath is deadly. WHOLE is the Hydra of synthpop and the duo celebrates songs with spoken word, minimalism, edginess, catchiness and catharsis. [...] In parts, WHOLE shine in the soundshape of the retro romantic Drangsal on a basis of melancholic pop noir, new wave, kraut with pop appeal and synthpop such as in the early Camouflage (including the vocal range); and Propaganda and Marc Almond in the hymnic opener, "Beast". "Sudden Hydra" is a minimalist, almost sacred gem in which [Alexander Donat]'s voice falls into the dynamics of Marcus Meyn, and clicking synths hold the song together." - Ox Fanzine (GER)

"The way that the music just all comes together and really takes you on a journey from the start of the cassette to the end [...] there aren't a lot of other artists to compare this with. [...] HYDRA" begins with big drumming and then it turns into that darkwave that I love from WHOLE. The distortion kicks in on this first song, "Beast", but it somehow manages to keep the melody and I think that's what makes WHOLE so special- they can keep that beauty within the chaos." - Raised by Cassettes (USA)

"Thoroughly enjoyable [...] [WHOLE] once again explore a variety of musical paths, predominantly rooted in Electro/Wave-Pop. Influences from Depeche Mode and IAMX frequently surface [...] Hints of Trip-Pop also weave their way into the album’s fabric. Alexander Donat reaffirms his talent as a vocalist, particularly adept at capturing the essence of this genre." - Side-Line Magazine (BEL)

"It opens with a galloping Beast, which is not without recalling - vocally - Depeche Mode. Indie traces remain [...] Sudden Hydra, with its almost trip-hop jolts, celestial but alert, exotic in its second part, will please just as much. It turns to noise, or close to it, with panache. Ten Commandments follows it in a spatial electro exploration, gripping, which pushes the effort further. Whole is worth a look, it uses inspired sounds. In terms of atmospheres, it is just as reliable. Dead Deer, with its velvety vocals, traces a pop style with broad tendencies."
"The quality persists, I am not surprised." - Muzzart (FRA)

""Beast" is a wonderful introduction to the shades and shadows that appear throughout the long-player’s ten songs. The band [...] approach their sound from different musical backgrounds, and you can hear that interplay of indie rock and EBM/dark electronica throughout Beast. The songwriting shines through as it does throughout the album, a structured quality around which the vocals ebb and flow, fitting for a track the band describe as “a song about fighting inner demons.” Just like the mythical creature of ancient Greece, this HYDRA has many faces, all worth investigating." - Analogue Trash (UK)

"There is a dark festivity quality through the album, where pulsing synth basses move relentlessly forward as bands of synth pads rise and fall. The vocal quality reminds me of Depeche Mode, but the music is far more dancey - the rhythms are almost robotic but also grooving and infectious. There are often bell tones, minimalist repetitions of riffs, and harmonies sewn together like a sonic crochet." - ISSUES Magazine (USA)

"A clear example of the evolution and maturation of their sound since their beginnings. With a distinctive blend of electronic indie rock, WHOLE have been able to build a unique identity in the music scene. The influences of legendary bands like Depeche Mode are palpable, but WHOLE manage to avoid feeling aged, keeping their sound fresh and contemporary. With "Hydra", WHOLE not only reaffirm their place in the electronic indie rock scene, but also demonstrate an impressive ability to evolve and explore new sonic territories." - Propuesta Cultural (MEX)




English:

WHOLE is a Berlin duo producing electronic indie rock since 2015. First, Thomas Schernikau (Forced to Mode, Forced Movement) and Alexander Leonard Donat (Vlimmer, Fir Cone Children, ASSASSUN) sent sound snippets and song ideas back and forth to each other until the musicians merged styles and released their debut album, “BIAS”, in 2018.
“WHOLE reinterpret new wave - dark, but always warm and distant and at the same time always driving An album full of thrilling and melancholic noise pop and indie pop anthems,” says Tonspion (GER). “[Sounds] like the gods of synth-pop and wave [Depeche Mode], only not so badly aged,” writes Art Noir (CH). “WHOLE open the door to a new dimension of synthpop. An album between light and shadow, peppered with many hidden details, full of fragile poetry, beguiling and disturbing at the same time,” concludes Gerda’s Tanzcafé (GER).
All this can still be heard on WHOLE's “HYDRA” although said components only form the foundation on which the band build their sound structures and, depending on the song, offer space for opulent arrangements, spoken vocals, minimalism, rough edges, catchy hooks and catharsis. “HYDRA” is a multi-headed creature that can grab hold, pause, and break out; it’s an album from a band that has found their sound.



Deutsch:

WHOLE ist ein Berliner Duo, das seit 2015 elektronischen Indie-Rock produziert. Zunächst schickten sich Thomas Schernikau (Forced to Mode, Forced Movement) und Alexander Leonard Donat (Vlimmer, Fir Cone Children, ASSASSUN) Soundschnipsel und Songideen hin und her, bis die Musiker ihre Stile verschmolzen und 2018 ihr Debütalbum „BIAS“ veröffentlichten.
„WHOLE interpretieren New Wave neu – düster, aber immer warm und distanziert und gleichzeitig immer treibend. Ein Album voller mitreißender und melancholischer Noise-Pop- und Indie-Pop-Hymnen“, so Tonspion (GER). „[Klingt] wie die Götter des Synthpops und Wave [Depeche Mode], nur nicht ganz so schlecht gealtert“, schreibt Art Noir (CH). „WHOLE öffnen die Tür zu einer neuen Dimension des Synthpops. Ein Album zwischen Licht und Schatten, gespickt mit vielen versteckten Details, voller fragiler Poesie, betörend und verstörend zugleich“, so das Fazit von Gerda’s Tanzcafé (GER). All das ist auch auf „HYDRA“ zu hören, obwohl diese Komponenten nur das Fundament bilden, auf dem die Band ihre Soundstrukturen aufbaut und je nach Song Raum für opulente Arrangements, Sprechgesang, Minimalismus, Kanten, Eingängigkeit und Katharsis bietet. „HYDRA“ ist ein vielköpfiges Wesen, das zupacken, innehalten und ausbrechen kann; es ist das Album einer Band, die ihren Sound gefunden hat.