B-Side Guys

In a music landscape often focused on polished production and carefully constructed personas, Leipzig-based artist wiebke emerges with striking vulnerability on her debut album “Space In Between.” These eight tracks navigate the territory between structured composition and improvisation, creating intimate sonic environments where her powerful voice serves as both guide and confessor. Co-produced with Manou Bouillon at SkyDojo Studios in Berlin, the album benefits immensely from wiebke’s talented band – Max Roth’s thoughtful guitar and bass work, Perry Sappir’s expressive keys, and Tim Rether’s nuanced drums and percussion.

Opening track “Living Freely Is Loving Truly” establishes the album’s central thesis through minimalist arrangement choices that allow wiebke’s voice to command attention. Her repeated mantra—”Living freely is loving truly”—gains power through each iteration, suggesting that authentic expression and genuine love are inseparable. The lyrics pose profound questions: “Did they decide to walk freely/Or crawl back to what they knew already?” This tension between comfortable stagnation and difficult growth runs throughout the album, creating emotional through-line that connects its varied stylistic approaches.

“Who I Am” deepens this investigation of identity through more complex instrumental interplay. The track demonstrates wiebke’s skill as producer and multi-instrumentalist, creating layers that support rather than overwhelm the song’s emotional core. Her background performing in intimate venues across Germany informs how these arrangements unfold – they feel designed for close listening rather than passive consumption.

“Woman” marks the album’s first significant stylistic shift, incorporating spoken word elements that reference wiebke’s diverse musical influences. The production creates tension between electronic and organic sounds, reflecting the song’s exploration of feminine identity in contemporary contexts. Her vocal approach here demonstrates remarkable range, moving between whispered intimacy and full-throated declaration without sacrificing authenticity.

The album’s middle section takes a more experimental turn with “What I Need” and “Rhythm,” where wiebke’s production choices create immersive sonic landscapes that mirror her live performances’ improvisational nature. These tracks particularly benefit from headphone listening, revealing subtle details in their spatial arrangement that enhance their thematic exploration of personal needs and natural cycles.

“The Core” brings the album’s most direct confrontation with pain, using sparse instrumentation that creates negative space for listeners to project their own experiences. wiebke’s vocal performance here shows remarkable restraint, finding power through careful phrasing rather than obvious dynamic shifts. This approach creates genuine emotional impact without resorting to melodrama.

“Fear” emerges as the album’s emotional centerpiece, its lyrics directly confronting the process of facing rather than avoiding difficult emotions. When wiebke sings “I trade my love for sympathy/I deal with hearts and still believe/That there’s nothing that can conquer me,” she captures both vulnerability and determination. The song’s mantra-like repetition of “Take it in to feel the scars/Take it slow to heal the wars/Tell my soul the rest is near/For all I have to do is face my fear” creates powerful emotional crescendo through accumulation rather than force. The raw confession “I wanna transform but I can’t get to the point/In which I don’t get burned out” reveals the exhausting nature of personal growth with unflinching honesty.

Closing track “Meeting Point” synthesizes the album’s various elements into something that feels both conclusive and open-ended. The production creates space for both contemplation and catharsis, while wiebke’s vocal approach suggests possibility rather than finality. This perfectly captures the album’s overarching theme – that true freedom comes through embracing life’s unresolved nature.

Throughout these thirty minutes, wiebke demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how different musical approaches can illuminate complex emotional states. Her background blending indie, jazz, and spoken word creates distinctive sound that honors various traditions while establishing its own identity. The production throughout maintains perfect balance between intimacy and expansiveness.

“Space In Between” succeeds both as collection of individual songs and cohesive artistic statement about vulnerability’s transformative potential. These eight tracks suggest an artist comfortable operating in the gaps between established genres and emotional states, finding creative power in uncertainty rather than resolution. This approach feels particularly relevant in our current cultural moment, where authentic expression often gets lost amid carefully curated presentations.

For an artist described by Urbanite Magazine as “magical up and coming,” this debut album delivers on that promise while suggesting even greater potential ahead. wiebke’s extensive touring experience across Germany has clearly informed how these songs developed, creating material that will translate powerfully to her upcoming release tour across Europe.

This album demands and rewards active listening, creating experience that feels both deeply personal and universally relevant. Through thoughtful production choices and fearless emotional honesty, wiebke creates genuine connection with listeners willing to inhabit the spaces she constructs. In a world increasingly dominated by algorithmic recommendations and passive consumption, “Space In Between” offers reminder that music still holds power to create meaningful human connection.