California in Berlin: Ilgen-Nur saves German indie rock again.
What would it sound like if Berlin were in California? Well, like with Ilgen-Nur. Or better said: at Ilgen-Nur 2.0. But first things first: What a joy it was when Ilgen-Nur proved with her wonderfully lethargic-laconic POWER NAP 2019 that guitar music still has its place. But instead of sweaty boys singing about toxic relationships, İlgen Nur Boralı was about everything and nothing, about this state of limbo somewhere between 20 and 30, about anger, about listlessness, about desire and boredom.
And all of this with an attitude that crossed the softness of the songs with a heart of punk. It would have been easy to continue right there. But why keep it simple when it can be exciting? She fell in love with LA, where she was stranded on the way to SXSW due to the global lockdown, returned to the city for an artist residency and let the California sun shine through her songs as well as the juggernaut’s inherent darkness.
This is particularly evident on “Dream Of Hell”, which not only captures the tension between the two poles, between ugliness and beauty, but also knows how to endure it. Or the downright theatrical “Lookout Mountain,” an ode to the City of Angels. “Momentary Bliss” is clearly about Berlin, an examination of the lies of life in nightlife that sounds like a quirky lullaby that has taken the wrong exit towards the mirror world. IT’S ALL HAPPENING: Ilgen Nur captures the overwhelming demands of the present in a self-confident sound. And we are only too happy to lose ourselves in their songs between dreams and nightmares.