Exclusive video premiere of ‘Overdrive’ by Teika & The Raw Beat, taken from the upcoming album, ‘Bones’n’Stones,’ out March 8th 2024.

A moody punk number, ‘Overdrive’ is a fun, female liberation track reminiscent of cult-fick Thelma & Louise if the soundtrack was selected by Quentin Tarantino. A full on call for going on that liberating road trip followed by a conversation featuring your inner angel and imp. Did we say punk? It is also swing and rock and general mayhem that delivers all the sass a short, to the point track needs to offer. Crunchy bass and drums give a perfect drive to the character-oozing manifestation delivered by Teika’s huskily grating vocals.

‘Teika & The Raw Beat’ is the brainchild of Austrian singer and songwriter Mateja Kert, a.k.a. Teika, who composed all 12 tracks of the upcoming album on her piano. ’It took me a long time to find an environment with people that understood what I was trying to do. I had to come all the way to Germany for that’, she says, adding: “Although Berlin isn’t really Germany at all, is it?”

Trusting her gut feeling proved to be the right choice. In Berlin, Teika took her songs to the rehearsal room with fellow musicians Georg Kostron (bass) and Gidon Carmel (drums) and hooked up with producer Cameron Laing of The Famous Gold Watch Studio. “I initially wanted to record an EP only but it became clear very quickly that it was going to become a larger work.”, she asserts.

The upcoming album contains 12 songs with existential lyrics, presented with piano, bass and drums as the album’s backbone, inviting listeners to hear and feel the raw touch of a real band and the musical craftsmanship behind it. While the first single ‘Overdrive’ is a crispy swing-punk number that instrumentally adheres to the very basics, other songs are rich in dramatic development and embellished by sumptuous string and brass arrangements, transforming the stories into cinematic hymns full of emotional and intimate experiences.

With an array of musicians of delicious greatness, headed by the providers of the Raw Beat (Georg Kostron on bass and Gidon Carmel on drums), ‘Bones’n’Stones’ was recorded under the feline auspices of Cameron “Don Produttore” Laing of The Famous Gold Watch Studio, Berlin.

“What initially started out as an EP paid out of my own pocket, quickly grew into a larger project. This was made possible through Germany’s Initiative Musik, who, amongst fierce and very worthy competition, selected this project and provided financial support. I can’t thank them enough for that! The funding covered the costs of the studio and the producing engineer, paid for the musicians and the mastering engineer; it paved the way for the making of some absolutely stunning videos and the creation of amazing artwork. It even made it possible to press a limited amount of CDs and Vinyl. In spite of our digital age: old school is good school, in this case at least.” – Teika

Headline photo: Victoria Byt

Teika & The Raw Beat Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / SoundCloud