History
Tocotronic were signed by L'Age D'Or, a German independent record label situated in Hamburg, in 1994 after quickly gaining popularity in the local scene. Their early style consisted of ironic sloganeering ("I want to be part of a youth movement") and almost diary-like songwriting, paired with a lo-fi rock sound with elements of punk rock and grunge.
In 1995, Tocotronic released their debut album Digital ist besser (Digital is better). It was noted for its perceptive lyrics and raw, unpolished sound. Frank König described the album in SWR1 Milestones as "grungy, punky, furious and yearning". [1] Some of its best known songs include "Wir sind hier nicht in Seattle, Dirk", "Die Idee ist gut, doch die Welt noch nicht bereit", as well as the title track "Digital ist besser". [2] The final track, "Über Sex kann man nur auf Englisch singen", alludes to a contemporary discussion about German-language songwriting. [3] [4] Bayerischer Rundfunk called Digital ist besser "a milestone in German pop history" in 2010. [3] Tocotronic's second album, Nach der verlorenen Zeit (After the Lost Time), followed only a few months later.
Wir kommen um uns zu beschweren, released in 1996, was the first of their albums to hit the German charts. Over time the music became more complex and their lyrics less direct, resulting in a sound that was compared to that of Pavement on Tocotronic's 1999 album K.O.O.K. The self-titled "White Album", released in 2002, features dreamlike songs; metaphoric, heavily produced, highly polished, it completes a slow but steady course away from their early works ("eins zu eins ist jetzt vorbei" – "one-to-one is over now").
In July 2007, Tocotronic released their eighth studio album, Kapitulation. Introducing the album in Hamburg, Dirk von Lowtzow described Kapitulation as "the most beautiful word in the German language". Richard Kämmerlings said that in the context of contemporary history, the album's conception of capitulation as liberation has a "distinctly anti-nationalist thrust". [5] Around this time, the band announced the end of their working relationship with long-time label L'age D'or, and consequently, Kapitulation was released by Vertigo Berlin, a sublabel of Universal music. [6]
Their ninth studio album, "Schall & Wahn", was released in January 2010 and became their first number-one record. [7] [8] Wie Wir Leben Wollen, was released on 25 January 2013 and Tocotronic (commonly known as "Das Rote Album", or "The Red Album") was released on 1 May 2015. Their latest album Nie wieder Krieg came out in January 2022. It is their thirteenth release. [9]
Despite never being overly commercially successful, Tocotronic have a steady fanbase in Germany and their records are regularly reviewed and acclaimed in mainstream newspapers and music magazines alike. The current band members and positions are Jan Müller (bass), Arne Zank (drums), Dirk von Lowtzow (rhythm guitar, vocals), and, since 2004, Rick McPhail (lead guitar, keyboard).
