ARTISTS

German Error Message

Paul Kintzing

Genre: Ambient Folk / Experimental Folk
Home: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Associated Acts: Other Nothing
For Fans Of: Alex G, Mount Eerie, Sufjan Stevens
Favorite B-Ball Player: Space Jam MJ

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Biography

German Error Message began in 2004 as the solo bedroom recording project of Paul Kintzing. With a combination of delicate walls of sound, symbolic lyricism and diverse instrumentation, Kintzing creates songs that exist in a realm all their own. 

From the beginning, Kintzing has consistently released material that one-ups the idea of what actually can be done in a makeshift recording space. Late 2014 saw the release of a split EP with Lung Cycles (released November 25th 2014 by Lily Tapes & Discs on limited edition cassette) and the full-length ‘Haunts’ (released December 2nd 2014 by Furious Hooves on limited edition cassette). Both are examples of how Kintzing has grown from a solitary, teenage singer-songwriter from northeast Louisiana to a studied musician/producer/adult living in Nashville. But no matter the age, Kintzing has relied on the power of observation to carry his message. It is the simple things that he sees that carry the most weight, and with each release, whatever he sees becomes more defined, more powerful, more beautiful.

Since its release in 2014, ‘Haunts’ has become an album to be adorned seasonally in Autumn. In 2019, Furious Hooves repressed ‘Haunts’ on limited edition cassette with updated artwork to celebrate its 5 year anniversary and in 2020 became the first album of German Error Message to be pressed on vinyl.

If ‘Haunts’ is considered thee go-to album for Fall, then ‘After the Warmth’ can safely be considered thee album for Winter. Kintzing started writing and recording ‘After The Warmth’ in the early winter of 2010 and finished it later that year. As Kintzing recalls, “I had moved to a new city for school the year before and didn’t know many people and all of my free time outside of school was spent working on it. My friends would sing with me and add parts when we were home for holidays. The songs came out quickly, many close to fully formed, and I’d rush to get them recorded while they were still fresh. I was still figuring out how to record, and these songs bounced around between an early digital multitrack, a four track cassette recorder, an ancient PC, and finally a Macbook.”

Back in 2011, ‘After The Warmth’ was met with high praise, getting a 10/10 rating from Dying For Bad Music and even coming in at number 7 on their Top 23 - Best Records of 2011 list. It’s an album that can immediately take you away to a dimly-lit place in the woods with frost on the windowpane and snow gently falling outside.11 years later to the day in 2022, ‘After The Warmth’ got an official physical release in the form of a limited edition cassette tape via Furious Hooves.

(Parts of this bio were written by Matthew Sigur, journalist)

Press & Accolades

• More than four million streams across streaming platforms.

• ‘After the Warmth’ received a 10/10 rating from Dying For Bad Music.

• ‘After the Warmth’ came in at #7 on Dying For Bad Music’s Top 23 - Best Records 2011.

“The sensation of being cut off in a world slowed down by the cold, the only company the small lights peeking through closed blinds across the way. Kintzing’s words are candid in the manner one can be in an empty room. Promises or threats offered to the quiet stillness like prayers. But no matter how sorrowful things sound, there’s something almost magical in the sharing, and the very fact that you’re there to hear it begins to feel miraculous. A reminder of the lights beyond the immediate present, and of the importance of lighting your own lamp too.”
– Various Small Flames, premiere of “Discontent” music video from ‘After the Warmth’ LP. (2/2015)

“Minimal, gorgeous and often ornately foreboding in tone, the album is evocative of inward journeys through emotionally fraught soundscapes.”
– My Old Kentucky Blog, review of “We Arose” from ‘After the Warmth’ LP. (2011)

"As usual with GEM, you can take your pick of descriptions (folk, bedroom pop, experimental, etc.) and really get no closer to describing the sound. I still like the line in the blurb of the split EP I mentioned earlier, which described the sound as, ‘densely-layered and blanket-thick bedroom folk.’ It’s sort-of-intimate and sort-of-sad and has that lonely lo-fi buzz that makes it feel DIY and heartfelt and real."
– Various Small Flames, review of ‘Haunts’ LP. (2014)

“‘What Do You Want’ is delicate, honest, and powerful, taking cues from obvious inspirations such as Mount Eerie but never sounding derivative. The production is subtle and warm, complementing Kintzing's raw vocals with intricate guitar lines and grand, swelling drum patterns that have become his trademark over time.”
– Indie Shuffle, review of “What Do You Want” from ‘Haunts’ LP. (2014)

“For fans of lyrically driven bedroom indie, ‘combining delicate walls of sound with personal metaphorical and symbolic lyricism and diverse instrumentation’, put this on your radar.”
– Indie Music Filter, review of ‘After The Warmth’ LP. (2011)

Furhoof Discography

Audio/Video

Press Photos