Man oh man, this came out of nowhere. Herz Jühning is a very new name for me, and I am very excited about it. Dark, droning pop music, like Kevin Drumm reprogramming something off of one of those excellent Minimal Wave compilations, and John Maus’s bored/angry older brother lamenting over the top.

Info on Jühning is scarce, but, I think his real name is Kay, he is from Germany, and his music is mostly referred to as Angst Pop, which is totally strange to me. He has released one 7″ (the excellent Faces) and the Miasma LP before this current release, both on the German-based Galakthorrö label, and both completely sold out.

Paradise lives in a similar universe to the previous outings, albeit a more ethereal, poppy take. Opener “My Confession” introduces Jühning’s post-industrial stomp, and immediately we are struck by his attention to strange little textural details, the kind that are usually ignored in favor of tape hiss. Vocals keep the tracks propelled, but its all about these smaller noises and dark, claustrophobic vibe. Every track is good (and can be mostly heard on various YTs, if yr curious), with the languid slither of “Road to Paradise” being a definite stand-out. Tough to find this one affordable, but look around, you might get lucky.