"When we first listened to ‘Needed You’ EP by the Berlin based duo She Lies we felt instantly engaged and decided it was definitely worth a review. The four-track record (out this month on EXLOVE, a new imprint run by the guys from Rework) contains multiple sonic inputs, evoking a past Disco, dark wave of Indie and Punk which was incredibly rooted in Berlin’s underground culture in the 80s, 90s, early 00s and basically -since then- never left. This miscellaneous of sounds is, in fact, extremely characteristic of Berlin. Born in the incredibly fertile ground of a city that since the beginning of the 20th century has been at the forefront of a very own dark-cabaret scene. Many underground little, dark venues and bars were the venues where this ‘wave’ started and which became a true artistic movement, giving birth -throughout the years- to this peculiar, Berlin own sound. Its defining characteristics are the slightly repetitive, obsessive and sometimes ironic melodies, the choice of Deep sounds, the lysergic, ghostly and mysterious vocals or spoken word (often women’s), the openness of the atmospheric pads, which perfectly recall the environment of the German capital with its huge open spaces, often inherited by the consequences of the dramatic bombings during WW2. But going back to the EP, since the opening track ‘Met You’ the big presence of a manic synthesis research becomes clear with its driving force and each tune acts as a piece of a little puzzle coming together with the help of many music-related feelings that the artists impeccably express. ‘Changing our life’ is the meeker part of the soul, with its shamelessly exposed melodies. Its open and airy sounds remind of a sunset in Tempelhof, while the acid basslines give strength to the composition. ’Dare’ bring some shadows back on the landscape and the cinematic touch of the closing track ‘Talking With You’ takes the listener by the hand toward the end of the EP. Anni and Ele -aka She Lies- with their ‘Needed You’ EP deliver a strong and cohesive work, where all the above mentioned musical details are present and very personally manipulated. They manage to give their interpretation of this specific -Berlin’s own- sound, creating a very intense record which perfectly fits the mood of this incredibly variegated, culturally active, open city and becoming its worthy sonic daughters!"