GÜTTINGER - Bottleneck

Q Review Staff

There's always an snap of excitment when something surprises you. And 'Bottleneck' by Guttinger is exactly that, a surprise. For me it's a welcome surprise. You listen to enough music and you start to expect what you're about to hear. We're often so complacent with our music releases, perfectly ready to categorize them by genre or BBM's. But then along comes something that's not so easily labeled. Something unique and interesting that doesn't easily fit into any one classification.

I think that is a real reflection of Guttinger as an artist, and definitely 'Bottleneck' as a musical piece. I say musical piece because "song" just doesn't seem to fit properly. "Bottleneck' is a movement, an experience. It's avant garde and a performance that dips into transcendental as well as the experimental. There's a true depth of creativity present that we don't often experience in music. It's an auditory slice of performance art. It's captivating as well as confusing, elevating its intrigue.

When I first heard it I immediately wanted to know more about where this blend of atmospheric mystery and otherworldly synth creation comes from. In his own words Guttinger explains that he "dug deep and wrote ‘Bottleneck’ about finding self-worth and confidence through the affirmations of others, which isn’t something many people talk about, but is often a shared experience by fat queer people who face rejection IRL but find love and confidence through admiration online". That in itself is a commentary on self and societal awareness that truly resonates with many and is a commonality across the social media landscape. Which makes Guttinger and 'Bottleneck' even more engaging.

This is music you need to experience. Listen once...not enough. It deserves many repeat plays to even begin to discover the many layers knitted in the musical narrative. And in this particular case this is not a one off occurrence. To get a better sense of the artist you should check out his 5 track EP "The Magician", and even then you'll only be scratching the surface. Guttinger is quite possibly the most exciting pioneer of independent existential art-pop out there. 

'Bottleneck' is released on February 14. Discover more of Guttinger online at http://www.guttinger.com/