“Thalheim isn’t just Saxony. It’s
deep Saxony,” Perel says. “But with the church background in there, everyone was just compelled to play music.”
Those different musical influences obviously came into play for her 2018 debut album,
Hermetica, released through DFA Records. The album, which was named after a mysterious collection of philosophical texts dating back to the Hellenistic period, sounds like Aphex Twin in one moment and Blondie in the next.
“Hermetica is actually pre-religious,” Perel explains. “I think that regardless of faith, we all share a common sense of classic wisdom.”
This all may sound ostentatious, but Perel makes a point to mention her love for Destiny’s Child and punk rock in the same breath. Somehow, all of this is present, stacked together seamlessly, in her music.