Fotos

German minimalist pop outfit Fotos came together in Hamburg during 2005. Just five months after their initial rehearsal, the quartet—Thomas Hessler on vocals, Deniz Erarslan on guitar, Frieder Weiss on bass, and Benedikt Schnermann on drums—had already laid down material for a debut album, sparking enough interest to ignite a bidding war among major labels. By 2006 the group settled on EMI’s proposal, resulting in the September release of their self-titled first album under the new alliance. Shortly afterward the band hit the road to support the record, logging close to 150 performances. Expanding beyond German-language territories in 2007, Fotos played a pair of concerts in Paris. The French audience responded warmly, prompting a return visit for a full tour of the country in early 2008. A second album was slated for spring of that year, with the release to be followed by a slot at the 2008 Midi Music Festival.