Man&Error: 2025 cassette

Man&Error: 2025 cassette (self-released) 5-song cassette EP from this project from Berlin, Germany. It can be tough to get small-run cassettes like this from overseas for a decent price, so shout-out to Iffi at Static Age Musik for the assist on these. Man&Error’s Bandcamp calls this “3 songs in 3 weeks by 3 friends in summer 2025” (the fourth song is a cover, and the fifth song is a alternate mix of the cover song), and while it’d be a shame if it’s all we ever hear from Man&Error, I love how these songs have the feeling of a fun summer project, light and airy and definitely not overthought. The instrumental parts are very simple, with the three originals built around simple drumbeats and just a few notes, though there’s still space within this framework for originality and dynamics, like how the main riff in “Away with the Faeries” is mostly just a slide down the guitar neck or the slightly dissonant harmony toward the end of “Bargain Bin.” But while the music has a naiveté about it, the vocals are accomplished and expressive, properly sung with a bluesy tinge that makes me think of PJ Harvey. For points of comparison, I’d put this somewhere between the Young Marble Giants / Raincoats school of minimalist post-punk and early indie-pop like the Shop Assistants and Dolly Mixture. Alongside the three originals, Man&Error cover the Petticoats, a relatively obscure post-punk/indie-pop band who only released one single, but you might also remember their contribution to the (also rather obscure) Scaling Triangles compilation, which got bootlegged in the recent past (and we sold a good number of copies of that at SSR). It’s one of those comp songs that Man&Error covers, so if you feel a twinge of recognition when you hear their version, that might be what you’re remembering. At any rate, if the above references pique your interest, you’ll no doubt find this EP charming and enjoyable.