- Title:(Ich bin verliebt) in den Ampelmann (single)
- Release Date:28 Jun 24
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- Cat no:AT0204
Now in their third decade as a going concern, Spray - Ricardo Autobahn (synthesizers) and Jenny McLaren (vocals), both formerly of Cuban Boys - have built up an impressive back catalogue of observant, sometimes acerbic, electrobops and ballads.
June 2024 sees them release (Ich bin verliebt) in den Ampelmann - a German-language reworking and reimagining of 2021’s The Emergency Exit Man.
Sibling duo Spray write observational, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, electropop that revels in 80s and 90s sounds allied to lyrics that can be timely and timeless. Fans of 80s Pet Shop Boys will like the way Spray can serve up a pop music masterclass, seemingly at the drop of a hat. Meanwhile, the band’s tricky and conceptually layered approach to their lyrics is very much in tune with those icons of twisted synthpop, Sparks. Deadpan and sometimes deadly serious, Spray are all too easy to love and enjoy.
Says Ricardo, “On our many trips to Berlin - it’s possibly Spray's favourite city in the world - we have been very taken with the character of the Ampelmann, the ubiquitous and beloved traffic light man that is a hangover from the Cold War era. Whilst in Berlin in 2023 the decision was made to celebrate the character in song, by rewriting a Spray song - The Emergency Exit Man - from our hit album Ambiguous Poems About Death in German. So, we did, and here it is.”
"The beloved East German traffic light man is everything that makes Berlin great: warm, quirky and artistic, and a unique symbol of German unification. The original English language song Emergency Exit Man became really popular after Ambiguous Poems About Death was released back in 2021, so it's always been in our mind to give it a platform as a single. This seemed the perfect opportunity."