“Don’t wanna go back, Cause this is timeless” - ‚Disconnected’

As the world becomes more challenging, COMA opens their arms in a welcoming embrace.

COMA's melody-rich innovations between indie and electronica have always been incredibly accessible, never shying away from hooks or emotions, and with each album, they expand the scope of what club music can be. In that respect, 'FUZZY FANTASY' is the next logical step – away from the dance floor, closer to life.

On their previous album from 2019, 'VOYAGE VOYAGE,' the first on City Slang, vocals and lyrics were the innovation amidst the typically track-centric layout of, well, tracks. Now, we see songs with verses, bridges, and choruses. They still exhibit a track-like essence, pulsating, drifting, and flowing. Whether they can be played around a campfire remains to be seen. But undoubtedly, they are songs.

Tracks like 'Space', 'Hideout', and 'Start/Stop/Rewind' catapult COMA completely out of the Kompakt context and into the musical vicinity of the Pet Shop Boys, Hot Chip, and the more recent Depeche Mode. 'FUZZY FANTASY' is the result of an astonishing transformation, though in retrospect, not entirely surprising.

But above all, the fourth album is a stroke of luck. Not just because it came into existence when the conditions weren't exactly ideal, especially for this genre, but because these songs exude such brilliance. Perhaps it's a glow; either way, they radiate warmth with the utmost elegance.

“I’ll see you shine In different worlds” ‚Space’

"With each new album, we set a challenge for ourselves, and this time, it was to craft tasteful pop music. This naturally means a bit more song structure," says Georg Conrad, one half of COMA. "Maybe we just didn't dare to do that before," adds Marius Bubat, the other half, "because we were still kind of tied to this underground thing. And with real pop songs, of course, you make yourself somewhat vulnerable."

Save for two tracks, COMA's live drummer, Niklas Schneider, played all the album songs in the studio. The artwork, yet again by Philipp Carbotta, features a close-up that will be gradually unveiled with each single. 'Beyond You And Me,' the second single, features the wonderful Dillon, following her appearance on the second album 'THIS SIDE OF PARADISE.' And the first single, 'Start/Stop/Rewind', was the most played song on Radio Eins – in 2021. It took some time to record 'FUZZY FANTASY' …

“Killing time, but I’m sober Rotating over and over” ‚Sober’

The eleven new songs took shape between May 2020 and May 2023 at the COMA studio in Cologne, with long breaks in between, due to the children. Georg and Marius became fathers, and, well, that simply put an end to living in the studio and running every beat through the grinder a hundred times until it satisfied the perfectionist.

"This album was the most difficult in its creation process," says Marius, "because we tried to write these songs amidst entertaining toddlers and family life. In the process, everything somehow melted into one surreal soup: children's songs and stories. Sleepless nights, fears, dreams, and the big and small questions of life."

"We were just completely worn out from the lack of sleep and all the kids input you get with young children," says Georg. "That can be inspiring in its own way; it was just different." "True," says Marius. "Yet, while making and producing music" – as always, COMA produced everything themselves – "we preserved this childlike and naive approach. Hence the album title."

The world is getting tougher, and lately, COMA are making pop songs that radiate warmth and elegance, yet they remain fuzzy, despite or because of the children – some kind of happy ending, at least for now, wouldn't you say?