Written by: Jen Dan
Mysterious, Swiss electronic-noir six-piece Len Sander, fronted by the alluring Blanka, just released its sophomore EP, Saltlick, May 20th on Mouthwatering Records. The band has also dropped two singles from the EP; the ebullient electro-popper “Another Man” and “In The Distance”.
“In The Distance” finds the band staking a claim in the electronic dance music field with subtle force. The song slowly, but (as)sure(d)ly progresses into EDM territory, at first pitting a lively drum rhythm and shaken percussion against subdued, suspended synth notes. Blanka sings in a sweetly despondent, but matter-of-fact tone the starkly seductive lyrics, “I’m using myself as a tool / My only aim is teasing you.”
Shining reverberations of synths and the vibrant tribal drum beat rise and set the dancefloor alight for a time. Blanka continues to unveil the bleak nature of the lyrics amid the restlessly percolating tempo, intoning with a softly downcast radiance, “…I’m here to fulfill your dreams / I don’t need to be myself.” before finally revealing, “My life is just a scene that I’m playin’ in.”
Find out more about Len Sander’s Saltlick EP from its press release below:
Salt is crystalline. When examined up close it is angular and beautiful. Salt intensifies all flavors. When rubbed into open wounds it amplifies the pain. Sweat tastes like salt. Sex tastes like salt. And it so happens that the latest EP from Len Sander is called Saltlick, and aptly so.
What we have here is a sound that has developed and ripened since the band debuted in early 2015. The production became ruthlessly taut, modern, and angular. The narrative thickened as well. The tortured love channeled in such exquisite high fidelity previously, is now entangled in a sensually overdriven network of knots. It’s an intricate, fragmented jigsaw puzzle consisting of lovers future, past, and present, often co- existing as a series of conflicted emotions, and always heavily reeking of sex. In essence, this EP is a simulation of the contemporary, urban love experience.
The confidence and maturity displayed on this EP is not coincidental. The band members have been touring extensively in support of their debut album, Phantom Garden, sharing stage with luminaries such as Róisín Murphy and the Sofa Surfers along the way. Their stage-craft became so expert and polished that when Jericho Keys of the BBC saw them live, he immediately contacted their management to get their songs on the air.
This year is still young and we’re all curious where Len Sander will end up at its finish.
