Words: Karl Johnson | Photo: Hannah Mason

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Rarely does a band come along and have the seemingly innate connection of Joni Samuels and Karsten van der Tol. The Irish/ Dutch duo come together as Fräulein, on one hand the above praise may seem premature, on the other it represents an aggressive and impenetrable sound entangled by a love of melody and gut-feel rock. Their new single ‘And I Go (La La La)’ is out now, arriving alongside the announcement that the duo’s debut EP will arrive digitally on May 27th and on vinyl August 18th.

On the track’s writing process vocalist and guitarist Joni Samuels states, “Usually, I write songs that revolve around the lyrics, but this started as a set of chords and a melody that I really liked. We developed it in rehearsal and during live shows. For months it had no lyrics, and I would sing the melody as “la-la-la”, so we kept the first half of the chorus as a nod to that.”

Opening with Samuels’ delicate vocal touch, Fräulein bask in their DIY rock roots while the mesmeric vocal melodies occupy all of the oxygen in the mix in its intimacy. With any duo, dynamics are going to be key and Fräulein juggle minimalist drums fills and a crackling guitar fuzz and walk with a heavy strut on ‘And I Go (La La La)’. The jigsaw-esque storytelling haunts like salt water on a cut, washed away as the track’s escapist feel capsizes your dinghy with a tidal wave of raw noise and emotion.

Fräulein Live Dates
24 April – DIY Alive Festival, London
06 May – Strange Brew, Bristol ^
07 May – Are You Listening? Festival, Reading
12 May – The Great Escape, Brighton
13 May – The Great Escape, Brighton
14 May – The Great Escape, Brighton
21 May – The Hunter Club, Bury St Edmunds
07 June – The Shacklewell Arms, London
^ Supporting Wych Elm

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