Grandbrothers - 'Late Reflections' is a musical reflection on the iconic monument of Gothic architecture

Today Grandbrothers release 'Late Reflections' via City Slang, their fourth studio album - a musical reflection on the iconic monument of Gothic architecture, Cologne Cathedral. To capture the special sound of the gigantic structure, Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel moved their studio to the heart of the cathedral, working late into the nights when the cathedral was closed to the public.

What began with an unusual concert request now comes to a conclusion with an extraordinary album. When cathedral builder Peter Füssenich unexpectedly invited the German-Swiss music duo to a major concert in Cologne Cathedral in 2019, the idea was "just" this one performance. The city's landmark regularly counts 20,000 visitors a day, and the planning effort already seemed enormous. "We initially only had the idea of writing one or two songs specifically for the concert," Vogel says. "Then when we were able to test the acoustics in the nave for the first time, we were really impressed. The place just sounds unique. And especially at night, when no one else is there, it's simply breathtaking. That's when we realized: we have to take advantage of that, we have to write music for this place in this environment."

Almost four years after the first contact and six months after the concert the album is now released with pieces composed specifically for and using the cathedral and its special acoustics; 'Late Reflections' allows the spatial characteristics of the building to become part of its hypnotic composition itself. The recordings took place over several consecutive nights in this gigantic space with its uniquely vast reverberation.

As with Grandbrothers' previous albums, 'Late Reflections' does not contain any sounds that do not come from the concert grand piano. In other words, everything you hear, every sound, whether percussion, synthesizer surface or sub-bass, originally comes from the grand piano. However, some of the acoustic signals are processed by means of software and effects devices to such an extent that a completely independent impression is created. "For me, this limitation helps enormously," Sarp explains. "It's so easy to get lost in the seemingly endless possibilities offered by synthesizers, samples and digital sound sources. In a way, though, for this album we've allowed a second instrument for the first time: the cathedral itself, with its own incredibly musical reverberation."

As far as concept albums go, ‘Late Reflections’ is evocative and immersive, and it asks as many questions as it answers: What does it mean for music to interact with architecture and physical space? What is the sound of a church that has been revered for centuries for the way it looks? How can artists forge something new out of 700 years of history?

This is a deeply collaborative album—not just a collaboration between two unusual musical partners (as well as sound engineer Francesco Donadello and mixer Paul Corley, who finely helmed the stereo mixes), but a collaboration between Grandbrothers and the Cathedral itself, a backdrop which influences the album’s sound as profoundly as a set design might shape a movie’s look.

The duo has announced a string of upcoming live dates, listed below.

Listen to/buy 'Late Reflections' here.

Watch Grandbrothers live at Cologne Cathedral here.

Grandbrothers Live Dates

• 05.20 - Dresden (DE) - Reithalle
• 05.21 - Bayreuth (DE) - Markgräfliches Opernhaus
• 06.17 - Wicklow (IE) - Beyond The Pale Festival
• 06.28 - Bad Kissingen (DE) - Kurtheater
• 10.02 - Berlin (DE) - Theater des Westens