Lea Porcelain Frontman Markus Nikolaus Shares New Single Solo Track “Hold Me Close”

Markus Nikolaus, the vocalist of German indie rock duo Lea Porcelain, has shared his second solo effort “Hold Me Close”. Leading up to his new album The Acid Kids, the track was actually written during the lockdown in Berlin and intended for Lea Porcelain’s last album Choirs In Heaven, but soon started to find its own way outside of the band’s sound.

Nevertheless, Nikolaus brings it to life with his patient, hypnotic delivery and ’90s Euro-rock production. Ethereal and dense, “Hold Me Close” beckons influences of Radiohead, David Gray, and Portishead with its echoing vocals and rhythmic, slick instrumentation. Opening with a steady piano scale intro, the song grows in an organic way, opening into a jam-like display of sound.

Nikolaus explains about the single: “This track came to me during a very dull guitar practice and I was just fiddling the same line over and over until it got the groove. When I recorded it and put a little beat underneath – it was like a bee-sting and I added more layers, Jammy and improvised but heartfelt vocals and an edgy little guitar fill that caught me from practicing Arabic guitar scales. All in all I got wrapped up in a “Dream Baby Dream” suicide vibe mixed with the upbeats of Beastie Boys “Ill communication” Album that was still reverberating in mind head. The song is about going out, take your sweet by the hand, look into each other’s eyes and dance all night. The fireworks at the end of the song resemble a new beginning. Which it really was.“

Check out the accompanying music video, adding to the misty, millennium-era style: