After last year’s single ‘Hypa Hypa’ blessed the ears of everyone who still pines after the days of 00s synth metal, Electric Callboy have been inescapable. This truly was their international breakthrough, leaving those in the know ecstatic for the arrival of Tekkno, which drops this week. However, it might not be what fans of their earlier sound – or even just ‘Hypa Hypa’ – are expecting.
Previous albums (which were released under the former name of Eskimo Callboy) have always had a light-hearted edge, such as the track ‘Transilvanian Cunthunger’ from their debut album Bury Me In Vegas (2012) to the self-indulgent ‘VIP’ on The Scene (2017). Their earlier work can easily be compared to that of Asking Alexandria and Motionless In White – undisputable metalcore with electronic enhancements and some absurd lyrics alongside the more poignant. In comparison to these many albums and EPs, the sixth full-length Tekkno is all about the harmlessly absurd.
Tekkno sees Electric Callboy enter a new era; one of wigs, aerobics, unique pigeon moves, glimpses of a worldwide music competition, new vocalist Nico Sallach and a very unexpected genre shift. In short, it’s a celebration of Europop and everything flamboyant that comes along with it.
Lyrically, the six-piece have embraced the frivolous stereotype of Europop, made very clear in the tracks ‘Arrow of Love’ and ‘Tekkno Train’. ‘Arrow of Love’ is a cheesy electronica party anthem stating “I’m gonna give my heart to everyone around, I’m gonna share my love with everyone”, jumping from heavy metalcore riffs to a high tuned staccatoed synth section. Similarly, the latter track has a very similar vibe and beats to ‘Hypa Hypa’ but the sexual, tongue-in-cheek lyrics such as “Sweaty, sweaty, you make my spaghetti ready, heat up the sauce, it’s a dinner for one” and 69 references are mocking cringy oversexualisation found in the pop industry.
On a similar note, opening track ‘Pump It’ mocks this sex-obsession with a strong 80s theme shrouded in techno, accompanied by a music video inspired by aerobics exercise classes (think ‘Call On Me’ by Eric Prydz but less women and more body hair). Eclectic production beats bounce off David-Karl Friedrich’s own heavy drum rhythms at driving force in the same way Sallach’s powerful clean vocals and Kevin Ratajczak’s rough growls do. In this track, the amalgamation of genres supports one another without one dominating the other or making the track feel overwhelmingly messy. Metal is prevalent, featuring three breakdowns, one of which being in the first minute, while the fast choruses make it the ultimate EDM workout anthem. Eurovision Song Contest, the home of Europop, welcomes rock and metal more than ever now thanks to the appearances of Måneskin (Italy) and Blind Channel (Finland) in 2021, meaning fans were desperate for Electric Callboy to put themselves forward. Although their humorous application was rejected by the jury, the mere action alone encapsulates Electric Callboy’s new sound and stature.
It wouldn’t be truly European though without their native language. This is only seen a handful of times in ‘Spaceman’ and ‘Hurikkan’ during their most camp pop moments. ‘Spaceman’ (featuring German rapper Finch) has lively techno moments that are contrasted by big metalcore sections and EDM choruses which hail rave culture. The sampling of course isn’t done in halves as warning alarms and ray guns can be subtly heard intertwined around thundering beats and riffs. One of the strongest lead singles aside from the obvious ‘Pump It’, the choruses and melodic sections are incredibly catchy but doesn’t cross the line into cringy.
‘Hurikkan’, on the other hand, is ironically cringy in the best possible way. Less than two minutes long, the first minute is very 00s Europop with a twinkling piano intro, but suddenly bursts into the most unpredictably filthy death metal. Fast double kicks, pig squeals, guttural growls and chuggy riffs show just what Electric Callboy are capable of as individual musicians. None of these elements are easy to conduct well and the standard is certainly much higher when new listeners only know you for screaming over what could be a Scooter track. In these songs, it’s also refreshing to hear another language championed in metal and recognise Germany’s contributions to the genre that aren’t ‘Du Hast’. While the majority Electric Callboy’s work is in English and, in Tekkno’s case, features popular tropes, one can hardly say this is an album written for a mainstream English/American audience.
Upon saying that, third track ‘Fuckboi’ (featuring Conquer Divide) is just a slightly heavier yet simultaneously more lofi version of Machine Gun Kelly and Avril Lavigne’s ‘Bois Lie’. The style of both clean vocalists (no screaming in sight) is undeniable and it even includes a vocal layer that sounds identical to the opening note of the chorus in Avril’s ‘Bite Me’. It’s very difficult to decipher if this is another intentional choice to mock the state of the alternative scene thanks to the likes of MGK or they really sat down and unanimously agreed this was worth adding to the tracklist. Although this could be perceived as just another genre Electric Callboy can do, let’s hope they never do it again.
In the midst of all this international/interplanetary genre exploration, there are two tracks that go back to their older electronic metalcore sound. Unfortunately, compared to what they’ve discovered in the rest of Tekkno, these are the weaker points. ‘Mindreader’ reverts back to the age-old format of screamed verses and melodic choruses, but the choruses don’t meet the same powerful climax needed to match the heaviness of what they follow. Similarly, ‘Parasite’ takes their older metalcore sound but sprinkles techno and Eurobeat tropes generously to the point where they can’t be appreciated as their own features. This track almost feels like the experiment that led to the rest of the heavy electronic tracks sounding polished and is very much a filler song, which wasn’t expected considering the captivating ones heard so far.
No matter your opinion on Europop, EDM, techno or any other subgenre that isn’t metal, one has to respect that Electric Callboy have managed to brilliantly match the apposing sounds and deliver an album unlike anything else on the scene right now. They’ve outdone themselves as songwriters, performers and all-round entertainers judging from the music videos, which is rare considering the serious musicians they are surrounded by in metal. If Electric Callboy keep on this trajectory, they could continue the genre-defining legacy that Enter Shikari set two decades ago.