Fenster's second record, The Pink Caves, is a dark fairy tale brimming with layers of tremolo guitars, tactile percussion, soft analog synths and moon-dusted vocal melodies. The tracks take you on a slow-motion free-fall through the rabbit hole into an ethereal world of spectral soundscapes, lush pop opulence and minimalism, drawing inspiration from science fiction, French '70s film scores, and Lynchian mysticism. Work began on The Pink Caves in early 2013. A home studio was set up in a cabin in East Germany and the whole house was wired so every room contained different elements, set up in such a way that they were able to record live altogether. As a result, The Pink Caves radiates with an intuitive and spontaneous approach to noise experimentation. The band reputedly used the house they recorded in as an instrument in itself, using slamming doors, the clanging metal oven, the ticking of clocks, the animals in the yard, the water in the well, candlesticks, coat hangers and matches... whatever happened to be within reach. All of this was captured by producer Tadklimp, whose idiosyncratic and inimitable production skills unravel the complexities and textures of the album. The new album plumbs the depths with broken and cracked bits. Weihl's vocals roseate through the gusty opening track "Better Days" and into Fenster's trademark ghostly guitar on "Sunday Owls." The third track "In the Walls" sends you on a slow elevator ride to outer space with Letournelle's pulsing analog synthesizers leading the way. The album waltzes, meanders, lilts and laments towards an introspective and haunting middle, reaching its peak with "The Light," which channels the voice of a hypnotic cult leader. The most energetic burst comes right before the end with "Hit & Run" and "1982," culminating in the cloud-soaked lullaby, "Creatures." With its subtle and surreal lyrics, The Pink Caves often feels like it is conversing with an imaginary spectre, at times longing for the purity of nature, and occasionally lamenting the futility of it all. Themes of dystopian love, attachment, estrangement and alienation permeate, describing invisible things to a backdrop of a subterranean dreamworld where bad dreams are ultimately rendered good in the grand scheme of things. With "Fireflies," Jarzyna channels a 17th-century balladeer in ensconcing the listener in the dark recesses of the childhood forest, while the morbidity of "True Love" is at once life-affirming yet echoes Camus' plea to abandon all hope in order to be truly free. With this record, Fenster ventures into new spaces, exploring different techniques, instrumentation and song structures. The album's title and aesthetic derives from the concept of a make-believe heaven -- a place you go when you die that only exists in your mind.
