Rotersand present their new album for Metropolis Records in August

Hamburg’s Rotersand, comprised of Rascal Nikov and Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg, return with Don’t Become the Thing You Hated, their first full-length since 2020’s How Do You Feel Today?. The album appears at a moment when oppositional rhetoric and cultural polarisation are as ubiquitous as streaming platforms. The record’s title, drawn from a phrase that has circulated in political philosophy and activism for decades, frames the album’s intent with literal clarity.

Title: Don’t Become the Thing You Hated
Artist: Rotersand
Release Date: 2025-08-08
Genres: Electronica, Synth Pop, Synthwave
Label: Metropolis Records
Description: Rotersand issue Don’t Become the Thing You Hated via Metropolis Records on 8 August 2025, addressing opposition and complicity in electronic form.

Private Firmament (I Fell For You) addresses technology’s mediating role in human connection, referencing the “cold light of computer screens.” Sexiness Of Slow adopts a slower tempo and foregrounds rhythmic tension, with repeated lines that shift in meaning depending on inflection and context. Other tracks shift between more propulsive electro-industrial pieces and subdued sections, avoiding overt crescendos or breakdowns.

Production is handled by Wesenberg, who also operates independently as a sound engineer. The mix is sparse, with little use of analog warmth or retro stylings, instead preferring digital clarity and linear arrangement.

Rotersand formed in 2002. Nikov (vocals, lyrics) previously worked as a writer and frontman, while Wesenberg’s background includes studio work for a range of German electronic acts. The group’s discography includes Truth Is Fanatic (2003), Welcome to Goodbye (2005), and Random Is Resistance (2009), with a series of EPs and remixes for other artists. Collaborations have included projects with Assemblage 23, [:SITD:], and festival performances at Wave-Gotik-Treffen and M’era Luna. Releases are distributed via Metropolis Records in North America and Dependent in Europe.

Don’t Become the Thing You Hated is available from 8 August 2025.

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