An Interview with ESCAPE WITH ROMEO

We talk with Escape with Romeo mastermind Thomas Elbern about the new album “Night After Night,” which will be released on August 7, 2026. The song of the same name is “also about restlessness, the eternal journey, and a time that seems to never end,” making it the perfect title track. On the importance of truth, the Zen rebel, fear as a constant state of being, and demons in a bottle.

Orkus: “Night After Night” is your 13th studio album. Would you describe yourself as superstitious? What does the number 13 symbolize to you?
Thomas Elbern: 13 is just a number to me. Now that you mention it, I find it interesting, too. But none of that played a role in the making of the album. “Night After Night” came together pretty spontaneously. No one had asked for a new album; our fans were still enjoying the previous one, “Suspicious Bliss,” and normally it takes us much longer. But this time it went faster, even though the whole process—from the first songs to the final product—still took a year and a half.

O: The album begins with “Edit Me Out.” When did you decide that this would be the opener, and how did the song come about?
TE: The idea came to us in Munich after we’d finished mixing the song. Precisely because it’s so different, we put it right at the top of the tracklist. The song started with a vocal sample and only gradually took on this dark trip-hop vibe. I spend a lot of time on pre-production and let myself drift in all directions until I slowly get goosebumps. That’s when I know I’m on the right track.

And as far as the lyrics go, I’d had that in mind for a long time: Leave me out of this—I don’t want anything to do with your reality!

O: In *Sound and the Fury*, it says, “Truth is a journey, and it’s hard to find.” What significance does “truth” have today, especially in the context of fake news, social media, and the like?
TE: The so-called truth is a highly contested commodity these days, since everyone lays claim to it.

Especially in connection with the World Wide Web and AI tools, it has become a very malleable concept. “Sound and the Fury” is about the truth you’ve personally experienced—about parameters that keep recurring in your life and that you must confront. And, to quote “Sound and the Fury” further, the “one-eyed king in the valley of the blind” is the one who sees! He is the Zen rebel who seeks silence as a refuge and remains sane even when panic breaks out around him.

O: Is there a story behind the song?
TE: “Sound and the Fury” was one of the first songs to be finished for “Night After Night.” For me, it also marked a return to that jangly guitar sound—one that’s sent racing through deep, reverberant spaces and ends up taking center stage with such a shoegaze-like quality.

O: “Fear’s a Ghost” has a particularly atmospheric feel to it. Is there a story behind its creation?
TE: I wanted to write a song about fear. But about the kind of fear that isn’t so obvious and is always lingering in the background somehow. I wanted to expose what, for many people, is a constant state of mind. The constant fear of losing something—and, little by little, control over one’s own life. That fear leaves you feeling like a zombie. It’s only through symbolism—describing fear as a ghost—that you can make it visible. Musically, I had this piano theme at the beginning; that was the starting point.

O: I’m sure a lot of people can relate to “I’m My Own Worst Enemy.” To what extent does that apply to you?
TE: “I’m My Own Worst Enemy” was one of those first-take things. I usually spend a long time working on my vocals, but here I wanted to keep exactly that feeling—those inconsistencies—in the track. Very often, you put yourself in situations that then feel hopeless. It could be anything—the important thing is that you’re often to blame yourself and can’t hold anyone else responsible, even if you want to so badly. That’s what the song is about, and I deliberately arranged it with a heavy trip-hop influence again.”

O: With “You Need the Drugs,” you’ve created a cover of the song by Westbam featuring Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs). How did this idea come about, and how did you bring it to life?
TE: Actually, the idea to cover “You Need the Drugs” came about on New Year’s Eve, when our hosts played the original and I immediately knew I wanted to do an EWR version of it. Back then, there wasn’t even any talk of a new album yet.

O: The album’s themes are in tune with the times and have a strong dystopian feel. How did that “happen”?
TE: That was actually the mood. There’s a line in the song “Little Did I Know”: “You just need the pain, just to know it’s real.” The lyrics are close to what I was feeling and were written (once again) during a very difficult time. It started with a kind of paralysis. Once those feelings turned into songs, I felt much better. The demon was trapped in the bottle! The bottle says “Night After Night.” And be careful: Make sure to put the spirit back in the bottle at the end!

O: Were there any particular challenges during the making of the album? How did you overcome them?
TE: We had two long mixing and production sessions in Munich that were really exhausting. At some point, you just have to stop, otherwise you’ll never finish. “Night After Night” is conceived as a journey—an album that celebrates the art form of the album itself. You start with the first track, and the journey begins. We spent a lot of time figuring out the right order. Personally, I hear trip-hop—and even metalcore—moments on the album again; it’s more New Wave than post-punk that’s being celebrated here. Still, I don’t see any nostalgic aspect to it, because we’re not evoking anything familiar here—instead, we’re using individual timbres to express ourselves musically and lyrically.

O: You’ll be back on tour soon. What are you most looking forward to?
TE: I’m especially looking forward to playing some of the new songs live, but also to performing songs from our catalog on this tour that we’ve either never played before or haven’t played in a long time. Being in EWR is a musical journey that I have to rediscover for myself time and again—otherwise, it’s no fun! From the very beginning, our top priority has been to create an atmosphere that captivates the listener and sweeps them away.

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Lineup (live):
Thomas Elbern – vocals, guitar
Tobias Schwartz – vocals, bass
Frenzy Erl – drums

Escape with Romeo – Tour Dates:
September 19, 2026, Munich, Germany, Live Evil
October 2, 2026, Cologne, Germany, Yard Club
October 3, 2026, Essen, Germany, Grend
October 4, 2026, Essen, Germany, Grend
October 10, 2026, Karlsruhe, Germany, Stadtmitte
October 11, 2026, Bielefeld, Germany, Movie
October 23, 2026 DE-Nuremberg, Club Stereo
October 24, 2026 DE-Rüsselsheim, Das Rind
October 29, 2026 DE-Hamburg, Hafenklang
October 30, 2026 DE-Berlin, Urban Spree
October 31, 2026 PL-Poznan, Pod Minoga, Shadow Dance Party
December 27, 2026 DE-Rhede, Rheder Ei

Do you already have your tickets?

Watch the video for “Sound and the Fury”: