Amongst the smoke-filled basements of the Berlin underground lurks the dark punk quartet Totenwald.  Created in 2014, Totenwald exists as an anomaly in their scene; more inspired by the early 80s roots of Berlin’s anarchist punk and Neue Deutsche Welle scene rather than more typical punk and hardcore tropes, the band incorporates sax and the cold dynamics of a drum computer as the backbeat for their guitar-driven sound.  Initially the three-piece comprised of Trish Tank, Sergej Pride, and Janis K. would use the phrase “Immigrant Punk,” as each member hailed from various countries. In 2016 they recorded and released the six-song Wrong Place, Wrong Time 12”EP on Mass Media Records (US), and began to make waves with their energetic live shows. After incorporating saxophonist and backing vocalist Ruby Mai in 2016, they defined and solidified their unique, signature style as eclectic as the band members themselves: a hurricane of new wave glitz, chorus-drenched melodies, and piercing saxophone solos, all under the sway and allure of Trish’s frenetic, echoing tales of resistance to an impending dystopian future.  

2018 saw new major developments in Totenwald.  The first was the February release of their debut full-length album Dirty Squats & Disco Lights, released on LP with Plastic Bomb Records (Germany), CD on Bat-Cave Productions (Poland), and cassette on Sierpien Records (Russia), the first recording featuring their full lineup and a very well-received release in local and international press. In a collaboration with synthwave artist and videographer Sally Dige, they produced and filmed their first official music video for “Shadows in Paradise,” filmed on location in Berlin entirely in VHS.  This preceded the departure of guitarist Janis K., and subsequent addition of Countdown to Armageddon guitarist via Seattle, Robert Hanna, indicating a shift to a darker, rawer sound and direction.

 In 2019 Totenwald recorded and self-released the 4-song Forward to the Past cassette in support of their U.S. West Coast tour in September. Forward to the Past will be released as a vinyl 12″ EP in cooperation with Plastic Bomb Records in early 2020. After the long pause of the pandemic, Totenwald returned with full force to the stage in summer of 2022 with festival appearances at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, and Puntala-Rock in Finland. In 2022 a CD of the Part Time Punks live studio session they recorded on their West Coast tour in Los Angeles was released via Bat-Cave Productions, along with the Forward to the Past and Wrong Place, Wrong Time EPs.