The Young Gods – Where Are They Now?
Teasingly entitled “Appear Disappear”, the extraordinary Young Gods have delivered another slab of mind-meltingly intense and beautiful electronica/industrial/metal. Already a sure-fire entry for the year-end “best of 2025” lists, “Appear Disappear” is out on Two Gentlemen.
Forty years ago, the Young Gods exploded into the embryonic synth-rock scene with a truly revolutionary new sound that was later on quoted as an inspiration by artists as diverse as Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie. “The technological restrictions of the time – we were born because of those restrictions, the excitement of the new sampling technology”, the band’s leader, guitarist and singer, Franz Treichler, says in the excellent press pack accompanying the release. “We had those pedals which were not designed to do what we did with them – the first electric guitar loopers. I’m amazed that we could make songs with them, sometimes only with one or two sounds. Now it’s totally the opposite. The technology today is incredible but you can get lost in so many new programs and plugins.”
About the new album, Treichler says this: “We wanted something raw. After the atmospheric rock of “Data Mirage Tangram” (2019) and the instrumental piece, “In C by Terry Riley” (2022), we needed and wanted to express ourselves more directly.” To illustrate the depth and breadth of the Young God vision, here’s Treichler’s explanatory comment about the title track: “When (Swiss sociologist, politician and author) Jean Ziegler was young, he was assigned to drive Che Guevara from one place to another in Geneva. In the car, Ziegler told Guevara that he wanted to support his cause, go to Cuba and, and join the revolution. Guevara replied: “You live in Switzerland, right? Then stay here to support us, you are in the brain of the monster.” This phrase left a deep impression on me. It highlights the unease I feel as I become more aware of Switzerland’s indirect implications in global issues and conflicts.”
