Hagen by Titanic

For fans of Bjork, Beach House, and Black Country, New Road, Hagen by Titanic immerses us in the apocalypse with their impossibly polished brand of neoclassical, experimental pop music. Flashes of 80s synth pop appear alongside moments of pure orchestral deconstruction, with intermittent moments of kraut rock, glitch hop, and other influences giving each track its unique character. Silky smooth vocals deliver stories of an apocalypse entirely devoid of romance or sentimentality, one which consumes interpersonal relationships, shattering friendships and families as the world burns in the background. This realistic read combined with a sound equal parts accessible and progressive brings this record into our present world, recontextualizing these stories to apply directly to our everyday lives. In the real, presently unfolding apocalypse, romance will vanish alongside everything else we cherish, a vain fantasy whose wholesale destruction sends us scampering for empathy in art.