About

The musical alter ego of Scottish singer-songwriter Calum Bolland, the Romantidote was conceived in Berlin late 2019. A multi-faceted performer, the Romantidote at turns unearths the most intimate of personal anguish and brings guffaws with comedic works and routines. The ‘Dote has become a fixture on the Berlin scene, having played with a number of established musicians, such as Freddie Dickson and Louise McNamara (formerly of Heathers).

With influences including Bob Dylan, the Magnetic Fields and Flight of the Conchords, the mix of styles works mainly due to the unmistakable imprint of Bolland’s writing, an authentic and natural voice prone to irony and self-effacement. His songs engage with grand themes of today’s debate: questions of moral agency, sexual liberation and the devastating decline of Morrissey on a human level. With a magnetic stage presence and sharp-tongued repartee with the crowd, The Romantidote has developed a loyal following.

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The Romantidote delved into the studio for the first time in the winter of 2019. This resulted in two highly praised singles “(Have Yourself) A Very Maudlin Christmas!!” and “Here to Stay”. The artist was asked to write an original song as the title track for 2022 film “Donne et Motori” from up-and-coming Italian director Leonardo Greco. 2023 will see the release of “Never Been to Berghain”, an anti-Brexit tour de force based on the author’s time in the city that will soundtrack the T.V. show of the same name.

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The record was recorded the previous summer at L.A. Recordings with engineer Liam Blomqvist and features some of Berlin’s most sought-after session musicians including Sophie Sutton, Anna Vaverkova and Davis West amongst others. It was mixed by Hugh O'Neill, who releases under the moniker HONAS, and mastered by Burza Pocitů.