Deathsport are the musical creation of German siblings and musicians, Tom and Mike Zitzelsberger. Drawing inspiration from dream pop and shoegaze, the pair initially experimented with a variety of names, styles, and approaches to music — working in bands, providing production and writing songs for other artists. In the end, they came back to their core motivation for making music — a desire to channel a love of nostalgic, chanson-styled music.
Earlier this year, the Zitzelsbergers commenced the recording of an EP, the enticingly titled Case Study Songs. The Deathsport certainly sound has those dreamy shoegaze vibes about it, but it comes dressed with a kinetic energy typical of Krautrock. As heard on Under A White Sky, the result is otherworldly, and yet feels grounded in an industrial, gritty sense. The overall aesthetic sits somewhere between The Horrors’ Primary Colours era, and the folksy leanings of War On Drugs… Desolate yet gorgeous.
Describing the song, Deathsport explain:
“The lyrics are based on the book Under A White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert, which is focusing on a scientific perspective at humanity’s impact on the Earth It is a song about technology and its fair role in the world's ending — a catastrophe that right now feels as real as ever. While staying callous, we are defining the most apparent changes and how we are trying to get used to the biggest of them.”
Check out Under A White Sky below, and look out for the EP, Case Study Songs, out on Bandcamp on 11 November.