To the North

Setting out on yet another musical journey, in To the North singer-songwriter masterminds Georg Höfler & Sigi Mittermayr take their listeners on a road trip heading in one specific direction - a place where they might be “coming home”, as one song title suggests. But it is not a straight line they are pursuing; not afraid to step into side streets, walk narrow paths, take unexpected “turns and deviations”, they are sometimes “floating” – always taking their time getting wherever they really want to go.
This way, coming along for the ride proves to be a joyful enterprise for the listener: as the songs of To the North unfold, we can take pleasure in their soulful sounds, handcrafted music largely based on guitars played with perfection; and we can listen to introspective and retrospective lyrics, stories of love and life with its sunny sides, but also keeping us on the edge with some unexpected ventures into the darker corners of the human mind.
Once again, a distinguished versatility in their musical style, ranging from folk to blues and rock, provides an entertaining voyage through their songs – and taking their time on this delightful trip means that practically in the end of the album, Georg and Sigi let their voices rest for an instrumental piece that tells its own story, as well as once again pointing out their musical craftsmanship.
So where does To the North’s musical journey really end? Actually, there is a strong feeling that it should not, and to reach a final destination has not really been the plan from the beginning. As you listen to the album, you can already feel the splendid live vibes of the music, and especially the song of the same name provides a perfect symbiosis, a culmination of all the good qualities of the band’s songwriting and performing.
To the North proves once again that Georg Höfler and Sigi Mittermayr may have their roots in the northern lands of our beautiful country, but they are not stuck in them – so we expect them to “keep on running” down their musical dreams, hoping they will take us on many more rides!