“Oh shit, we forgot our safety word!” cries frontman Mario Radetzky in the opening lines of ‘WHALES’, kicking off the loudest, angriest and heaviest song in the band's history.
Out of the feeling of having landed in a world they don't really want to be in, the Munich trio instigates a peaceful musical uprising with ‘WHALES’ that has it all. Under dark synthesizers, rock riffs and driving drums, they position themselves with a clear no to the right and a loud yes to resistance. The essence: “Never again” is now.
“‘WHALES’ is the most aggressive song on RIOT, with the most powerful sound and at the same time the most current, urgent and timeless song. It contains all the important topics that concern us: the shift to the right, AfD (Alternative For Germany) agitation, hate comments on the internet, criticism of capitalism, but also personal loss," says Mario.
Inspired by resistance fighter Sophie Scholl and activists like Luisa Neubauer, BLACKOUT PROBLEMS take the discontent of the times and use it as a driving force - "Our flame won't get any smaller if you feed it with oil."
"With ‘WHALES’, we want to give ourselves as a band and everyone else the strength to stand up for our own opinions and values - at a time when this is not always easy. On the internet in particular, many people quickly feel triggered and the boundaries become very blurry. You have to expect a headwind with every criticism, every statement makes you vulnerable. We want to encourage people to stand up to this. We support going on the streets, protesting and becoming active in a wide variety of ways. Our mouthpiece and main means of expression for our resistance: our music."
With the message in focus, the trio performs the song together in a car in the accompanying music video. Because no matter where you are - resistance can be shown everywhere.
The fact that BLACKOUT PROBLEMS are a band with rough edges and a lot of attitude is nothing new. With their single ‘GLOFS’ (short for "Glacial Lake Outburst Floods") feat. Rou Reynolds from Enter Shikari, they drew attention to climate change and its consequences for us as humans. Socio-critical, political, apolitical, personal and soulful, the Munich-based band easily find a balance on RIOT, in which Mario Radetzky's thought-provoking lyrics rain down on the harsh world of reality.
Following their collaboration on ‘GLOFS’, BLACKOUT PROBLEMS will be joining Enter Shikari on their European tour next week. Rou Reynolds has also hinted fans can expect to see them perform the single together live on this run, “I was honoured to have been asked to jump on this song by my friends BLACKOUT PROBLEMS. It’s such an excellently sculpted track and I can’t wait to perform it with them on our tour together in Europe.”
BLACKOUT PROBLEMS new album RIOT will be released on February 23rd, 2024, digitally, on CD, vinyl, in a special hardcover book and in various bundles via Hansa / SME Germany GmbH / Sony Music.
BLACKOUT PROBLEMS live
Supporting Enter Shikari
19/02/24 Brussels - Ancienne Belgique (Sold Out)
21/02/24 Paris - Le Trianon
23/02/24 Amsterdam - AFAS Live
24/02/24 Cologne – Palladium (Sold Out)
26/02/24 Hamburg - Sporthalle
27/02/24 Berlin - Columbiahalle
28/02/24 Munich – Zenith
RIOT Release Shows
29/02/24 Stuttgart - JuHA West (Sold Out)
01/03/24 Cologne – Helios37 (Sold Out)
Festivals 2024
08/06/24 Rock im Park (GER)
09/06/24 Rock am Ring (GER)
29/06/24 Vainstream Rockfest (GER)
17/08/24 Highfield Festival (GER)
Blackout Problems
BLACKOUT PROBLEMS release new single 'WHALES'
BLACKOUT PROBLEMS have released their brand new single ‘WHALES’. The track comes ahead of the release of their new album RIOT next week on February 23rd via Sony Music.
