Hamburg-based duo Garden State jump into 2022 with an astonishing 3-track EP, Devotion, via Traum imprint.
Garden State establishes themselves as one of our label’s most exciting new artists with their debut on Traum. All of the tracks are heavily influenced by the dance music we enjoy. Garden State, on the other hand, is known for their meticulous attention to detail in their productions.
Talking about the EP, the title track Devotion features Hannah Naomi Togler. The trio wears their hearts on their sleeves in Devotion, an honest expression that uses catchy arrangements to create a buzz on the dance floor and beyond. Garden State introduces a compelling stop-and-go rhythm for those seeking emotional connection as well as audiophiles and the late-night dancing crowd, full of humanity, lightness, and powerful emerging intensity. Devotion is a feast and a firework.
The second track, Disclosure, maintains the intensity but from a different perspective, creating a bubble of deep, introspective dance music. There’s a near-perfect blend of songwriting sensibilities and club swagger here. A distant vocal, heavenly piano, and a rigorous arpeggiator sequence acting as the motor, beaming the track onto the dance floor, demonstrates Garden State’s mastery of an emotional balancing act.
While the production on the last track Pages is admirable, it all comes down to the vocals and the occasional rise of the melody, expressing full emotions of love won and lost, creating a subtle form of euphoria, similar to the feeling we’ve had on some very private musings.
The sound of Garden State strikes a balance between complexity and dominance. They defy the convention of limiting themselves to a single genre while still displaying legible handwriting. A euphoric atmosphere is created by striking basslines, propulsive percussions, and elevating melodies that cut through the dancefloor haze.
Stream and download Garden State 3-track EP Devotion via Traum.
