The Notwist – X-Ray
German indie rockers The Notwist announce “News from Planet Zombie”, their first album in five years, arriving March 13, 2026 on Morr Music. Lead single “X-Ray” blends twinkly indie pop with a rock edge, showing the band energised and entirely in the now.
For the first time since their 1995 album “12”, the band recorded together in the studio in their expanded live formation. The core trio—brothers Markus and Micha Acher plus Cico Beck—brought songs to the collective for arranging, rehearsing, and recording live over one week at Import Export, a non-profit arts space in Munich. The expanded lineup includes Theresa Loibl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Andi Haberl.
Guests include vocalist Enid Valu, Haruka Yoshizawa on Japanese zither taishōgoto and harmonium, clarinettist Tianping Christoph Xiao, and trombonist Mathias Götz. The album also features two covers: Neil Young’s “Red Sun” (originally developed for a theatre play) and Athens folk-pop band Lovers’ “How the Story Ends”.
Markus Acher describes the album as addressing the current geopolitical chaos while showing collective ways forward. The title and lyrics reference B-movies and horror films, calling the world situation “a really bad and unrealistic B-movie.” But there’s also hope. Acher reflects on the Isar river in Munich as a source of comfort: always the same but constantly changing, reminding him that every moment is precious even as time flows in one direction.
“News from Planet Zombie” balances melancholy with positivity across eleven songs recorded with some pleasingly rough edges—confident enough to let the songs breathe and mutate. The Notwist’s last album was 2021’s “Vertigo Days”.
Tracklist:
- Teeth
- X-Ray
- Propeller_
- Red Sun
- The Turning
- Snow
- Silver Lines
- Who We Used to Be
- How the Story Ends
- Projectors
- Like This River
Tour Dates
Europe:
- November 12, 2025 – Lido, Berlin, Germany
- December 14, 2025 – Cactus Club, Brugge, Belgium
- April 15, 2026 – Arena, Vienna, Austria
- April 16, 2026 – Locomotiv, Bologna, Italy
- April 17, 2026 – Monk, Rome, Italy
- April 18, 2026 – Urban Live Music Club, Perugia, Italy
- April 19, 2026 – Rote Fabrik, Zurich, Switzerland
- April 20, 2026 – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne, Germany
- April 21, 2026 – Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- April 23, 2026 – Garage, London, UK
- April 24, 2026 – Trabendo, Paris, France
- April 25, 2026 – Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg, Germany
- April 26, 2026 – Große Freiheit, Hamburg, Germany
- April 27, 2026 – Astra, Berlin, Germany
- April 28, 2026 – E-Werk, Erlangen, Germany
- June 9, 2026 – Circus Krone, Munich, Germany
