Founded in Cologne, Germany in 1985, Pink Turns Blue’s blend of atmospheric dark pop informed by European post-punk contemporaries and the buzzing punk dissonance of Hüsker Dü (the band is named after the Zen Arcade song) immediately tapped into a new canon of sound that was foundational to the emergence of darkwave.

Despite the commitment to their craft and initial grassroots success, securing label support proved difficult as they refused to sing in German and their sober tone lacked the shimmer of pop and optimism that executives felt formulaic to success. Still, the band persisted with the duo of Elbern and Jogwer sharing vocal duties and song credits, each informing the other’s compositions until Elbern halved the song production and left the band in 1987. Continuing to perform and record as a three piece, the band eventually found roots with FunFactory!, an independent label based in Münster whose manager Axel Seitz shared the band’s appreciation of the Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol’s Factory vision, urging them to forego releasing singles and focus on a full-length.