Konkord 134
Maybe Pearl
Heaven Sent Cat
"Maybe Pearl" is an album like a map. For the two creative masterminds of Heaven Sent Cat - Anna Dirnberger and Johannes Bohun - music and travelling are two sides of the same coin. Being on the road means discovering and exploring boundaries together, jumping over one's own shadow and getting to know oneself and the world better in the process. And it’s all happening with an intensity that couch potatoes can't even dream of. Curiosity is the dynamo! For example, „Seasong" was created directly at the sea, with a groove that hypnotizes like the slow rocking sound of the waves. "I carry you" is the soundtrack of a walk along the cliffs of Donegal.
Whether in a busy district of Istanbul ("Cihangir Insomnia"), a medieval mountain village in Italy ("Not Always So") or on the beach of Jaffa/Israel ("Maybe Pearl") - all the impressions were remelted into strong songs that taste of authenticity, energy and emotionality. Just like the band name: Heaven Sent Cat. It refers to a stray cat that ran into Dirnberger and Bohun one evening to give them a short magical moment, just to disappear again. The guitar a compass, the drums a roadmap. Even if Anna Dirnberger with her incredibly clear and changeable voice reminds of Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention or Róisín Murphy from Moloko, Heaven Sent Cat sound neither like folky whiskey nerds nor like electropop afficionados reduced to pure rhythm.
Featuring Stephan Först (bass), Verena Berg (backing vocals) and jazzman Valentin Eybl (electric guitar), Heaven Sent Cat has been developing a very idiosyncratic style of alternative rock since 2018, with a heart that beats for the desire to experiment and for the joy of groove. The band combines the rough, oily garage riffs of the White Stripes or Two Gallants ("Gotta Have") with the hyperactive jubilant pop of Arcade Fire or the elegant demeanor of Grizzley Bear. But the radiant simplicity of "The Tree" is already aiming in another direction, with Cat Power making her rounds in the distance. It's like the Cheshire Cat that keeps surprising Alice in Wonderland: you think you've finally nailed it - then it disappears and reappears somewhere else. In Alice's world, a hatter named Jarvis Cocker would also suddenly appear on "Maybe Pearl" and join in celebrating the melancholy of the closing song. Heaven Sent Cat have brought us a grab bag of unique songs from their travels. Stories, experiences, comments on our world. An album for explorers, for travelers or simply a record for fans of exciting music with heart and drive.
