Berlin-based artist gnomes has never been one to follow the expected path. Their previous works leaned into acoustic minimalism and whispered introspection, but with the release of their new EP Microclimbs on June 20, 2025, gnomes takes a bold leap into electric terrain—one that feels both experimental and strangely intimate. The four-track collection, produced in collaboration with Sam Hanlan and featuring drums by Henry O’Loughlin, is a genre-dodging, emotionally rich meditation on modern existence, dressed up in analog textures and playful oddities.
Crafted at the iconic Famous Gold Watch Studios, Microclimbs is the sound of a restless spirit embracing transformation. gnomes’ shift from acoustic-led songwriting into a fuller, more electrified soundscape is not only sonically rewarding—it’s emotionally disarming. The EP covers serious ground: isolation, emotional fatigue, fleeting nostalgia, the search for joy amid static. Yet, through a brilliant alchemy of dry wit and genuine soul-searching, gnomes keeps the weight from crushing the listener. Instead, you float through these songs—untethered, observant, a little dizzy in the best way.
Opening track “Lonely Peaches” is the perfect introduction to this new phase. Built on woozy Wurli synths and dreamy electric guitar lines, it oozes a kind of humid melancholy. The lyrics are curious and fractured—half-memories and overheard thoughts strung together like delicate beads. It’s a song that feels like it wandered into the room through an open window. There’s a casual surrealism at play, reminiscent of Aldous Harding’s sideways narratives, or even the soft-focus chaos of Alex G’s recent work. But underneath the shimmer, there’s ache—and that’s where gnomes thrives.
“Chilblains” follows with a more playful twist. Despite its title nodding to physical discomfort, the song is warm and bouncy, led by intricate vocal layering and a strange, bubbling percussion section that sounds like it was assembled from toy instruments and old radiators. It’s this sort of sonic curiosity that makes Microclimbs such a compelling listen. gnomes and Hanlan clearly approached this EP not just as a recording project but as a playground. And somehow, amidst the experimentation, the emotional throughlines never get lost.
Then comes “Acting Up”—arguably the EP’s most emotionally exposed moment. Here, gnomes strips away some of the psychedelic mist and leans into something closer to bedroom confession. The track begins with a hushed vulnerability but gradually builds with a tension that never quite erupts. Instead, it simmers. The drums, tastefully restrained, echo the internal push-pull of someone trying to keep it together when everything is just slightly off. It’s not melodrama. It’s quiet devastation with a raised eyebrow.
Closing track “Gameboy, 1998” is where gnomes throws their final curveball. It’s nostalgic but never indulgent—think 8-bit textures filtered through Elliott Smith’s ghost and smoothed over with Kate Bollinger’s jazz-influenced phrasing. It’s a love letter to simpler times, but it doesn’t romanticize them. Instead, it uses the memory of old tech, childhood escapes, and lo-fi innocence to say something very current: we’re all still trying to plug in, press start, and feel whole—even if the batteries are dying. The track closes the EP with both a wink and a sigh.
As a whole, Microclimbs lives up to its name. Each track feels like its own little weather system—brief, unpredictable, and deeply personal. gnomes has managed to create an EP that’s both highly specific in its storytelling and universally resonant in its themes. Whether you’re staring out a rainy Berlin window or lost in a headphone reverie somewhere else on the planet, these songs find their way in.
There’s a quiet confidence in the way Microclimbs unfolds. It doesn’t scream for attention. It invites you in—offering a cup of something warm and bitter, maybe a laugh, maybe a tear, maybe both. It’s the kind of record that reveals more with each listen, each layer peeling back to reveal not answers, but deeper, more beautiful questions.
With Microclimbs, gnomes cements their place as one of Berlin’s most intriguing sonic storytellers. This is not just an EP—it’s a mood, a mirror, a musical weather report for the soul. If you’ve ever felt out of step with the world but still managed to dance a little, this one’s for you.
