Music
ÄTNA
Words by Katie Farley
With only two EPs behind their name, albeit obtaining an impressive eight million streams on Spotify, Germany's emerging musical creative duo, ÄTNA, delivered by singer Inéz' uniquely modulated voice, recently launched their latest song, 'Come To Me.' Additionally, ÄTNA is announcing their first full-length album, Made By Desire, which will be unveiled on 14 February 2020.
Portraying a self-assured woman's endeavor to encourage her partner into finally making an effort before vanishing completely, is the narrative behind the single 'Come To Me,' which is available now. The song is transported by an overwhelming vocal performance and a ferociously propulsive beat, quickening across hairpin curves before an impulsive outpouring near its raucous climax. 'Come To Me' experiments with identifications of gender characters, where ÄTNA unashamedly find themselves breaking down barriers and blurring lines of sexuality. A notion conveyed throughout their spectacular music video.
Repeatedly compared to the sounds of Fever Ray partnering with Grimes in London's imposing Royal Opera House, the musical duo has previously performed at high profile festivals in their native hometown and overseas, furthermore, touring Estonia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. Their vocal appeal has escorted them to stage shows in a diverse array of cities, including London and Istanbul, and even frequented a slot at the Montreux Jazz Festival earlier this year, which is a phenomenal achievement for a German band.
With piano as the pivotal focus on each of ÄTNA's innovative live productions – "analog effects mixed indirectly, loops, effects and delays played live, and nothing automated whatsoever – and while some might use Autotune to straighten a singer's pitch, any vocal treatments here only add depth to Inéz' striking vocals."
"In the first video series, I have turned my body into various clothes-making and textile machines, including the spinning wheels, dying machines, weaving looms, print-making machines, and carding machines."
Occupying rudiments of intensely unusual movements and genres, Inéz and Demian - an inspired alliance of parallels – conjure a progressive 'work of art' in the highest term. The duo's music intermingles with fashion and design. Monochrome costumes parade on stage, while beautiful videos picture enormous rooms abundant with white dice, practical shades, and shapes, along with a logo that appears as if Wassily Kandinsky designed it.
Vintage and futuristically advanced in equal measures, ÄTNA is a contemporary masterpiece, yet instantaneously undeniably accessible. In their own words, their "making their own world."
