Most of the songs that we listen to are usually dedicated to a muse of the artist, like Da Vinci to Mona Lisa, but it’s rare for us to hear tracks in an entire album that are purely dedicated to places—the story and culture that they have and their people. It is safe to say that the Danish duo from East Germany, Linebug, has successfully released a collection that does just that. Portraits of Invisible Places is an album that not only provides the listeners with some feel-good folk music but also engages its audience in a full experience of history, emotions, and just a whole lot of different stories. This is an album dedicated to the forgotten towns in East Germany—the lives, the people, the nostalgia, and the hope.
The collection opens with the track “When We Find It (Eythra), a serene and calm piece that introduces the whole collection through its peaceful instrumentation and gentle melodies that produce a kind of vibe that feels like a soft embrace. The simplicity of this track will take you back to the days when everything was much less complicated, with lyrics packed with nostalgic memories of childhood and warmth; this track is comforting, fresh, and deeply moving.
Coming in next is “Temporary Home (Zeitz),” with its vast folk sound that carries a contrasting vibe that both feels welcoming and eerie at the same time. I felt like this song carries a welcoming atmosphere because of how the singer wanders to find her new home amidst being lost. It is a hopeful song, yet it carries a weight of vulnerability because of the yearning that you will feel as the singer sings through her lines that depict searching for something familiar in a world that is rapidly changing. This song captures the very idea of “beauty in sadness,” and it gives you that kind of solace as you go on and embrace an adventure, even when you feel like you’re lost.
With “Rainbows in Hoywoy (Hoyerswerda),” on the other hand, the artist managed to perfectly capture how lives change through time as the area becomes progressive. This is such a powerful reflection of how industrialization affects the lives of the people and the place where it sets in. It is true that the past shapes the future, but there’s a certain sadness that goes along with progress, as sometimes when an area rapidly transforms, it forgets its own culture and roots. As the song progresses, it recognizes the fact that change is inevitable, and through this song, the artist refuses to forget how it used to be; hence, the past has not entirely been lost.
Then, “The Last Hearts Made of Coal (Deuben)” comes in as perhaps one of the piercing tracks on this collection, as this track pays tribute to the coal miners and the end of their era when the coal plant closed way back in 2021. This song carries a deep-seated sadness because an era has ended. Nevertheless, this song is also packed with a sense of pride and reverence for the miners because their work is something very honorable, and their labor and sacrifices for the community are something that the artist recognizes fully. The chorus of the track stood out the most for me, as the collective singing in the background, along with the vocals of the artist, has breathed a haunting quality into this track, almost as if the miners themselves are singing on this piece.
I ended my listening experience with an uplifting and feel-good track, “While Dancing (Eisenhüttenstadt).”. Unlike the heaviness brought by the previous track, this piece offers something to celebrate: something danceable and enjoyable. It is a much-needed burst of joy as the singer sings lines to remind everyone to just let go of everything that worries them and dance freely with someone they love. Embracing the present and becoming genuinely happy is freeing, as depicted on this track, and I personally love the way this song is infectious, not only because of its energy but because of the optimism that it carries.
The tracks Bubble of Convenience (Prora), Someone Else’s Tragedy (Demmin), 10,000 Sunflower Faces in Bloom (Swedt), In Other People’s Eyes (Weißwasser), The Creek (Altenburg), and Bonus Track: “The World is Getting Worse, but Life is Getting Better” were also featured on this collection, and listening to this whole album felt like a treat because this 11-track collection is not just music, but the stories and emotions that are embedded in every note and line of each of the tracks are memories and narratives of people that have lived in those places. I can’t help but fangirl a LOT upon seeing each of the visuals of the songs because they are intimate; the pictures and the clips provided made all of it human, and this is what made this album so special.
So don’t forget to check it out. Portraits of Invisible Places by Linebug is something that is worthy of your full attention. It is clear that the artist has poured their hearts out in the making of this project, and as a result, we are able to connect and deeply feel the emotions that they want us to feel. Give this artist some love and follow them on all their social media accounts! And again, don’t miss out on this great listening experience. Stream Portraits of Invisible Places now!
Follow Linebug
About the Author
Born and raised in one of the 7000-ish islands in the Philippines, a self-proclaimed professional fangirl, with a degree in Biology. She probably annoy the people around her so much for not speaking and speaking too much. A frustrated writer, yes!
