LP Version - “One Step” is the Berlin-based indietronica duo's visually vivid debut album, released on Enfant
Fenou.

Tracklist:
A1 Madly In Love, A2 Counting Stars, A3 Fast Forward Day, A4 Stay, A5 One Step
B1 Machines, B2 Invisible, B3 Lost, B4 Walking

Info:
The night is what makes a big city come to life. Right after sundown, the hectic buzzing of downtown
makes way for adventure playgrounds, bathed in neon light, revealing their countless chances and
opportunities. It's when you'll find the subway spitting out it's purpose seeking passengers by the
minute. A coming and going of restless people passing through. All it takes is a few hours, before the
sunrise makes it all disappear. Mental Bend captures the magic of that very moment in their dreamy
soundtracks. If you close your eyes, you can see blurry pictures passing in slow motion, accompanied
by their atmospheric songs. Grainy black and white snapshots, fragments of memories lighting up
somewhere in the farthest corner of the cortex.
“One Step” is the Berlin-based indietronica duo's visually vivid debut album, released on Enfant
Fenou.
Mental Bend are all about letting go. Sissip (voc/synth/bass) and Hendrik Havekost (beats/production)
know how to trust their instincts, crafting their hypnotic signature sound, somewhere in between
electronica, ambient and dream pop. Before founding the band in 2013, the two were already shaping
their skills in all kinds of different formations and styles of music. As soon as they got together, they
had a viral mini hit with their song “Take My Hand”, praised on various tastemaker blogs and
generating over 100.000 likes on Soundcloud in no time.
The band's first long play record “One Step” is all about important experiences and decisions, small as
well as big steps, all a part of making progress, which in the end can even be life changing. It was a
step, that recently got Mental Bend their record deal on Mo's Ferry's sub label “Enfant Fenou”. In the
New Release Information
past year, Sissip and Havekost accepted the offer to play a small tour in Japan, even without having
an album to share. And so it was on the other side of the world, that the Berlin Duo ran into a second
Berlin Duo. Of all things in the hustle of the world's most populous metropolis Tokyo, they met their
current label colleagues Dapayk & Padberg, alias Eva Padberg and Mo's Ferry co-founder Niklas
Worgt, who were immediately impacted by Mental Bend's individual sound. “One Step” is the result of
this fateful encounter, and it's no coincidence that it revokes memories of the scores of modern movie
classics like Sofia Coppola's “Lost In Translation” or Jim Jarmusch's “Only Lovers Left Alive”.
Inspired by artists like Portishead, Tricky, Massive Attack, Radiohead and The XX, Mental Bend invent
their very own soundscapes. Spheric loops, trippy downtempo beats and indulging chords make for
massive walls of sound, interweaved by fragile and melancholic vocals from another world. Sometimes
creepy and dark, sometimes ethereal and surreal. It all results into an almost impossible to grasp mix
of organic and electronic elements, mirrored by the band's name; Mental Bend aren't shy of making
sudden turns in their tracks, bending their ideas into unpredictable creative sculptures and walk on
unexpected paths, always challenging their listeners to really listen. “When composing, I try to blend
out my consciousness and only think in pictures and emotions”, says Hendrik Havekost about his
producing. The density combined with the diversity of Mental Bend's music, is a result of two minds
working together, always leaving space for the audience to paint their own picture. “One Step”, is their
creation of a world of sound for the imaginary citizens of Metropolis. A sound matured and perfected
on two tours through Germany, as well as at shows at the Berlin Berghain-Kantine, the C/O Pop
Festival and the renowned Jetztmusik Festival in Mannheim.
“My move to Berlin definitely had an imprinting effect on my lyrics.”, Sissip explains. “You are
permanently surrounded by the most contrary influences and a massive variety of choices. Just like
Hendrik, my writing works on a very subconscious level and I get my inspiration from emotions and the
music itself. The lyrics mostly end up being very metaphorical. They are based on the processing of
my emotions and experiences.” The influence on “One Step” doesn't stop in Berlin and Tokyo. The
foundation is actually laid in New York City, where the Duo wrote the title track in 2015. “That was a
very inspirational experience.”, Sissip continues. “After arriving, we explored New York on foot for the
whole day, following the pulse of the city and sucking everything in. We spent the next few days in the
studio, depriving ourselves from sleep and preserving our impressions in that one song.” This special
atmosphere also comes up in the other tracks, like the restless “Walking”, the claustrophobic
“Invisible”, the hypnotic love song “Madly In Love” or the contemplative pop song “Counting Stars”.
“That song is about finding your place in this huge and confusing world we live in.”, Sissip adds.
“Sometimes you feel like an alien and wish for a place you can call home. I believe that we create
such a place for ourselves with the music we make, providing us with a safe haven, and hopefully a
place, our listeners can retreat to as well.”

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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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