Press

Selected quotes about the Hinterlandt (sextet) album Ode to Doubt (2017):

“All-acoustic spacious blend of contemporary chamber music, experimental sounds and alternative pop song” – The Mercury (AUS)

“The lyricism is personal and witty, the composition is unparalleled, it’s just a fantastic little record.” My Indie Australia (AUS)

“…an experiment to test the boundaries of what this format can offer … Overall, it’s a very interesting and diverse release from the Australian sextet.” – Can This Even Be Called Music (US) 

“Hinterlandt represents a distinctive, interesting and, I think, important stylistic excursion. Jochen Gutsch’s talent and vision as a multi-instrumentalist and composer has shaped an original project” – CutCommon (AUS)

“A creative approach that is generally considered ‘high-art’, mixed with the qualities and characteristics of progressive/avant-garde music. Strings, brass and acoustic guitars, performing music that is romantic, rocky, creepy, percussive and sometimes mentally conflicting!” – 2SER Band Next Door (AUS)

“Kompositorisch weiterentwickelt” – Trust Fanzine (GER)

“This music has all the hallmarks of the artist’s honesty” Jazz & Beyond (AUS)

“Gorgeous arrangements sprawling across seven tracks. Chamber music for indie lovers” – Cheap Slices (US)

“Selten hört man heutzutage noch etwas völlig Einzigartiges und Neues, das in seiner Schönheit kaum in Worte zu fassen ist.” – 15/15 rating in Betreutes Proggen (GER)

“Ein wirklich bemerkenswertes Album… Wohlklang und anspruchsvolle Kammermusik werden geschickt gemischt” – Empire Magazine (GER)

“Hinterlandt zeigen den Himmel und die Erde auf” – Streetclip (GER)

Selected quotes about the Hinterlandt (quartet) album Ensemble (2016):

“The long-form works take the audience on journeys through diverse sound worlds, the unconventional line-up of instruments creating unique possibilities and timbres.” – RealTime Arts (AUS) (concert review)

“The meandering music traverses an array of styles, with grooving bass from the cello and trumpet melodies.“ – CutCommon (AUS) (concert review)

”Beautiful cello and violin lines drone in and out of melodies between each other, guitars plucked and strummed give measure and rhythm in parts.” – My Indie Australia (AUS) (album review)

“A really original record which is really worth an hour of your time if you’re looking for a break from the self-imposed silo of your usual listening.” – Echoes and Dust (US) (album review)

“Das Album ist toll, ich bin begeistert. Große Kunst, große Musik.” – Be Subjective (album review)

“Five interconnected movements scored to reflect the dynamics of a day, including all the ups and downs one typically encounters; very much in keeping with Gutsch’s predilection for narrative.” – Syke on Stage (AUS) (concert review)

”Best enjoyed sitting down and listening carefully, but in a good mood; preferably with a glass of red wine at hand.”– Vital Weekly (NL) (album review)

“This is a group well worth keeping an eye (or ear) on.” – CutCommon (AUS) (album review)

Selected quotes about the Hinterlandt (solo) album Cartography (2012):

“Singular and without antecedents.” – Sydney Morning Herald (AUS)

“Robert Fripp would be jealous of some of the guitars.” – Vital Weekly (NL) 

“A record stripped of excess, that embraces variety, displays impeccable timing and great self-awareness.” – Echoes and Dust (US) 

“An extremely inventive, intricate and restless release high on originality that sounds like little else at the moment.” – Cyclic Defrost (AUS) 

“Music born of an imaginative mind.” – Drum Media (AUS) 

“Wandering through imagined cities complete with bustling plazas, epic skylines, meditative gardens, and dark and ominous alleyways.” – Tone Deaf (AUS) Full Review

“An uncanny originality and a demonstration of multi-instrumental proficiency.” – AU Review (AUS) 

“A wildly curated expanse of sound.” – 2SER (AUS)

“Intricate rhythms leading into dramatic post-rock anthems that resonate to the heavens.” – Mathrock Dot Net (US)

Selected quotes about the Hinterlandt (solo) album Migration Motion Movement (2011):

“This is the work of a highly skilled, inquisitive, and highly erratic mind.” – Cyclic Defrost (AUS) Full Review

“He is literally juggling with sounds, distorted, altered beats, patterns and rhythms and yet somehow making sense out of it all.” – Louder Than War (UK) Full Review

“Pop? Definitely not. Great? Absolutely.” – Vital Weekly (NL) Full Review

“Die Fusion von Songs und Track, von Rechner und Gitarre.” – Trust (GER)

“Mind-bending experimental soundscapes.” – Sounds Better With Reverb (AUS) Full Review

“It all comes together like the United Nations of Music” – Sydney Morning Herald

Selected quotes from reviews for earlier Hinterlandt (solo) albums:

“So entertaining and intriguing … often stretching up into the fifteen minute range, and yet he never, ever gets boring … has been on endless repeat in my stereo for the past week.” Stylusmagazine (US)

“Structured with great detail for composition and with much care for the execution … on this road a major succes album can be found, one day.” – Vital Weekly (NL)

“Der ungekrönte Avantpopkönig unserer Tage” – Auf Abwegen (GER)

“Hinterlandt is definitely a revelation of kinds” – Cracked (ÖS)

“Die Virtuosität, mit der er eine derartig große Vielzahl von Genres beherrscht, ist wirklich enorm.” – Gebrauchtemusik (GER)

“A strange form of prog electronics that is nothing short of jaw dropping.” – Cyclic Defrost (AUS)

“Constructed with the upmost care, gentle but invigorating and most of all, unfathomably accessible, if only all electronic music could be this good.” – Tasty Fanzine (UK)

“Charmant.” – De: Bug (GER)

“Schizophrenic suites with pop sensibilities.” Sydney Morning Herald (AUS)

“Peut-être une quête de stabilité comme le contrecoup du retour aux sources de son créateur” – Obskure (FRA)

“Faszinierend.” – Piranha (GER)

“A strangely accessible, weirdly logical yet bizarrely constructed series of suites … everything is not just interesting and challenging but more importantly enjoyable.” – Cyclic Defrost (AUS)

“Pop-Melodien, Song-Strukturen und Gitarren-Soli mischen sich zwischen die Beats, Clicks’n’Cuts, Geräusche.” – Trust (GER)

“Mesmerisingly beautiful.” – Drum Media (AUS)

“Besitzt nicht nur als Komponist, sondern auch als Arrangeur und Produzent geniale Züge” – Satt (GER)

“Manifestando talvolta umori non proprio esaltanti che guardano al rock sinfonico” – All About Jazz (ITA)

“As if the elements made this music up in the clouds during an airplane trip”– Pulse Niagara (CAN)

“Ganz natürlich, mit einem eigenen Charme, der sowohl zeitlos ist, als dass er auch die Entwicklungen der letzten Jahrzehnte reflektiert” – Hayfever (GER)

“The view through a newborn calculator, taking its first taste of solar power … beautifully elegant and structured, very recommended” – Tesselate (UK)