Hamburg based duo Kraków Loves Adana (Deniz Çiçek + Robert Heitmann) have announced the release of their new album, and shared the title track “Follow The Voice.” Now, if you closely follow the band, the track might sound familiar. It was first released via Italians Do It Better a few months ago before the duo decided to quit the label (they had a whole album on the way) and pull it from streaming platforms. Luckily, they decided to release the original version of the track, which is one of our favorites from their discography.

“‘Follow The Voice’ is back! And with it comes an album announcement,” stated Deniz Çiçek. “This song has been cursed from the start. We had to shoot the video twice. The release was postponed multiple times. In the end it became a song I never expected or wanted it to be. And then it was deleted from the world. Today, I am breaking this curse – the original version of Follow The Voice is out at last – a song that obviously developed a life of its own. And even though it disappeared for a while, its essence was always with me.”

Raw, cold, and closer to their essence, this new version brims with melancholy and mystery. The drums are somehow reminiscent of Prince’s “Kiss” and the synths are hypnotic as hell. But as usual, Çiçek‘s vocals, simultaneously icy and fascinating, are where the magic happens. Don’t miss the great self-directed visuals and pre-order Follow The Voice via Bandcamp below.

Following on from their latest singles “Follow The Voice” and “Young Again,” Hamburg based duo Kraków Loves Adana (Deniz Çiçek + Robert Heitmann) have finally detailed the release of their fifth album, a project described as a crossroad between dreams and reality. Alongside the announcement, they have also unveiled an amazing new track and video, “The Ocean Between Us”. About the 80s-influenced track, singer Deniz Çiçek detailed:

“I wrote this song last summer, stuck at home, scrolling through people’s fancy holiday pictures, realizing that I am not a summer person, never was, never will be. This song is for all you goths with that summertime sadness. ?”

After “Follow The Voice,” their sophomore track on Italians Do It Better sees the pair return with their stoic synthesisers and driving guitars to make. There’s a relentlessness that’s created, culminated by Deniz Çiçek and Robert Heitmann’s careful craftsmanship that’s been honed over their 14-year partnership.

“Young Again” possesses a similar polished yet emotionally raw feel that’s found on much of Robyn’s discography; more than just another electro synth-pop track, it’s a demonstration of vulnerability. Yet Kraków Loves Adana‘s lyrics don’t take away from the thrumming energy of the song, the pulsating beat that makes it so catchy.

Deniz Çiçek’s voice has a gorgeous tenor that naturally creates a gravitas to her words. When she sings, we listen. It’s reminiscent of Anna Calvi in its haunting ability, the calm and knowing drawl that has a gravity of its own. The melancholic edge that her voice brings lends itself wonderfully to the meaning of the track.

Of “Young Again”, Kraków Loves Adana explained that it “reminisces about youth and the time when anxiety, overthinking and unhealthy relationships were holding you down. Memories might be dark and painful, but you realize how strong you emerged from the experience – with that bittersweet understanding that you’ll never be young again.”

The accompanying video which was filmed in Malmö – and directed by Ebba G. Ågren from the band Wy – follows lead singer Deniz Çiçek as she storms through the darkened streets, singing to camera in suave power suits. There’s a reflective element to the video however, beyond these open displays of certainty and bravado. We see Çiçek holding up a mirror to her face, playing with her reflection; she flares her nostrils, blows patterns with her breath onto the mirror and sings directly to herself. All these little moments peeling back the layer of certainty and allowing us to see anxieties underneath.

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Like every December, we close a year of music with our traditional lists. After the Best Albums and Best EPs and Mixtapes, we’re happy to unveil the songs that made 2019 according to our team. Are these the best releases of the year ? Maybe yes, maybe no. But for sure, they represent what we have loved over the 12 months.

2019 is also the end of a decade and, even if the blog did not exist 10 years ago, we will try to share our favourite tracks of this era during the first quarter of 2020.

Finally, I’d like to mention that HighClouds would not be the same without its team of dedicated writers. People don’t always realize it but running a blog and contributing, even only from time to time, requires a lot of energy on top of your full-time job. So thank you to each of you for this.

And now, here are the 100 tracks of 2019, as well as a huge Spotify playlist to go through our selection and discover some other amazing tracks that almost made the cut this year. Thank you for reading us and see you next decade!

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100. 0171 – “1000 Words”

99. Modern Feelings – “Culture”

98. STAINWASHER – “Joy For Me”

97. Alina Bea – “King of Nothing”

96. Lowly – “baglaens”

95. Yot Club – “no way !”

94. Helado Negro – “Running”

93. BEA1991 – “Did You Feel Me Slip Away?”

92. Deaton Chris Anthony, Clairo, Coco & Clair Clair – “RACECAR”

91. Sandy – “Signals”

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90. Common Holly – “You Dance”

89. Teen Body – “Validation”

88. SOPHIE, Doss – “Whole New World (Sophie and Doss remix)”

87. Emily Reo – “Ghosting”

86. Barrie – “Darjeeling”

85. Caroline Polachek – “Pang”

84. 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – “I DON’T CARE”

83. Kraków Loves Adana – “Follow The Voice”

82. Jessica Pratt – “Aeroplane”

81. Ariel – “Dream Team”

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80. Spellling – “Under The Sun”

79. MUNYA – “It’s All About You”

78. Von – “Dealer’s Gone”

77. Makthaverskan – “Demands”

76. SASSY 009 – “Maybe in the Summer”

75. Jessie Ware – “Adore You”

74. PAT – “Love Will Find a Way Home”

73. XUXA SANTAMARIA – “Rudos Del Mar”

72. Ascendant Vierge – “Influenceur”

71. Thom Yorke – “Dawn Chorus”

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70. Nilüfer Yanya – “Baby Blu”

69. Saeyers – “Cruise”

68. Quinn Christopher – “Erase Me”

67. The Dawdler – “Sylvie”

66. TR/ST – “Iris”

65. Jai Paul – “He”

64. Maria Somerville – “Brighter Days”

63. Morabeza Tobacco – “Orinoco”

62. Eartheater – “Fontanel”

61. Otha – “Tired and Sick”

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60. Eugenia Post Meridiem – “Anjos”

59. Vagabon – “Water Me Down”

58. Lala Lala, WHY? – “Siren 042”

57. Jackie Mendoza – “De Lejos”

56. Dorian Electra – “Flamboyant”

55. Crack Cloud – “The Next Fix”

54. Chromatics – “You’re No Good”

53. Hana Vu – “Order”

52. Magdalena Bay – “Only If You Want It”

51. Ebhoni – “TGM”

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50. Cherushii, Maria Minerva – “A Day Without You”

49. Maluca – “NYC Baby”

48. Tyler, The Creator – “EARFQUAKE”

47. JPEGMAFIA, Helena Deland – “Free The Frail”

46. Blue Hawaii – “Still I Miss U”

45. Oklou – “Forever”

44. Crumb – “Ghostride”

43. Ariana Grande – “NASA”

42. Weyes Blood – “Movies”

41. Pure Bathing Culture – “All Night”

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40. Beauty Queen – “The Only One”

39. Couch Prints – “Tell U”

38. 070 Shake – “Morrow”

37. JORDANN – “Café Speed”

36. Lizzo – “Juice”

35. 100 gecs – “Money Machine”

34. Hand Habits – “can’t calm down”

33. Jenny Hval – “Ashes to Ashes”

32. (Sandy) Alex G – “Gretel”

31. Arlo Parks – “Super Sad Generation”

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30. Grace Ives – “Anything”

29. Burial – “Claustro”

28. Sharon Van Etten – “Seventeen”

27. pronoun – “stay”

26. Requin Chagrin – “Sémaphore”

25. BEA1991 – “My Own Heaven”

24. Billie Eilish – “bad guy”

23. Sorry Girls – “One That You Want”

22. Japan, Man – “Stop Staring”

21. Drauve – “Haunted”

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20. Big Thief – “UFOF”

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19. MUNA – “Number One Fan”

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18. Claud – “Easy”

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17. Danny Brown – “Dirty Laundry”

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16. Angel Olsen – “Lark”

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15. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Want You In My Room”

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14. Caroline Polachek – “Door”

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13. Boy Harsher – “LA”

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12. Magdalena Bay – “Venice”

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11. Erika de Casier – “Do My thing”

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10. Men I Trust – “Numb”

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9. Charlotte Adigéry – “Paténipat”

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8. Σtella – “Samba”

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7. GEORGIA – “About Work The Dancefloor”

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6. Lana Del Rey – “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have”

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5. Aldous Harding – “The Barrel”

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4. Big Thief – “Not”

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3. Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens – “Gone”

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2. FKA twigs – “Cellophane”

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1. Clairo – “Bags”

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All great bands start with a love story, right? ABBA, The White Stripes, and now Kraków Loves Adana, a Hamburg-based duo of Deniz Çiçek and her partner Robert Heitmann, who have just been signed to Johnny Jewel’s LA-based iconic label Italians Do It Better.

Kraków Loves Adana’s latest single, “Follow The Voice”, has that undeniable Jewel appeal which is behind the success of Desire and Chromatics. Although this new direction can sound like a rebirth, the charm of their debut remains intact as Çiçek’s vocals are still nostalgic and icy like in “Rapture” or “The Day The Internet Died“. “Follow The Voice” is hauntingly catchy, mysterious, and the dark synth melodies echo the intriguing atmosphere of the video, which was directed by Çiçek and Heitmann in Hamburg.

A pure product of the Italians Do It Better aesthetic, the accompanying visuals are a modern film noir carefully filled with symbolism, with pink and blue lights seeping through blinds and dancing around smoke. Çiçek is seen singing in a dark room, being hypnotised by a pendulum, and dancing on a vintage TV screen. About this new track and video, she stated:

[su_quote]When listening to the new song we immediately feel drawn into it, so that our minds start to wander and we forget everything what’s happening around us. In a way that we feel very focused – ready to observe things in a more sensitive way. That experience led to the idea for the video, where we use hypnosis to try to connect with other dimensions and realities. Blending in hopes and wishes to contact things, individuals and loved ones that are out of reach in real life.[/su_quote]

Kraków Loves Adana are set to release their full-length album with Johnny Jewel early next year. You can catch them next month on tour in Central Europe, where they will be opening for Chromatics and Desire.

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“What if the internet closed its gates at midnight?” This is the original scenario that inspired Kraków Loves Adana‘s new single. “The Day The Internet Died”, which follows up on the hypnotic “Rapture“, is another solid offering from the Hamburg based duo comprised of Deniz Cicek (guitar, keys, vocals) and her partner Robert Heitmann. The latter actually runs their own record label Better Call Rob. On their new melancholic anxiety-pop track, they question with humour the place of the virtual in relationships. It comes with self-directed visuals which were filmed in Hamburg.

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“The Day The Internet Died” is taken from Kraków Loves Adana‘s upcoming album “Songs After The Blue” due out on April 6 via Better Call Rob and Rough Trade. Pre-order it now.

Kraków Loves Adana are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kraków Loves Adana, the duo comprised of Deniz Cicek and Robert Heitmann, follow up to their last single “American Boy” with a captivating new track, “Rapture”, which is supposed to be an ode to cassette. One must say that the voice of the band, Deniz Cicek, starting to record tracks without having internet access or a computer until the age of 17. She was actually introduced to music thanks to tapes she found in her parents’ collection. One of her favourites was named “Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love” even if at that time, she had no idea who this British genius was.

Have you ever walked in a street, hermetically isolated from the rest of the world, with your headphones on your ears? This is this powerful and lush feeling that the duo wants to put in a song today. Wandering with a walkman is more than listening to some music. It’s an act of freedom, a romantic celebration of music, a moment of nostalgia. This is the rapture of your heart in a small rectangular piece of plastic. Kraków Loves Adana‘s new single “Rapture” comes with a video which was directed by Wy’s Ebba Ågren.

“Rapture” is taken from “Songs After The Blue” due out on April 6 via Better Call Rob

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Don’t forget to follow Kraków Loves Adana via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.