Away from the TV screen, back on stage: Tobias Poetzelsberger is back – and more personally than ever.

On "A little closer", Poetzelsberger gets much closer, namely: himself. After three albums with fine, but often also calm singer/songwriter pearls, the Upper Austrian wanted to know what else was in him, whether there was more. And during this self-esight, he found what he was looking for.

That's why we hear completely new facets of the 43-year-old: There is a nostalgic soul note ("Through the blue"), there is earthy rock ("Queen of the Night"), but also Modern Folk ("Lost in Translation"). And why not write a power ballad with a big string substitute? Also works, namely in "Bad Dreams", which of course once again resounds at the end of the album in a magical trio version. Or: Uptempo-Country-Drive like in “Let Me Be Easy”. Of course, there is no lack of classic songwriter pop, see "On the Internet". And Poetzelsberger brings out his inner Sufjan Stevens in "Worn & Weathered".

So a lot to hear in these eleven songs, which were written quite quickly compared to the previous albums. "I wanted to try myself and forced myself to write differently and to go down new, untredden paths in songwriting." Collaborations also help: There were sessions with Garish songwriter Julian Schneeberger ("Yet again", "Worn & Weathered") or the great lyric poet Dave McKendry.

Oh, and keyword text: There too it is sometimes personal. Poetzelsberger wrote a lot in winter 2025/26, where it was cold and dark, not only outside. The central motif is probably the challenges of a high-speed life, which many people in their 40s know. Between child, work and music it can be tight for the soul. And all around you experience upheavals, one gets sick, the other separates, the next looks for himself. No, this is not a midlife crisis album and not a diary lyric, God forbid. But a confrontation with oneself. And it is almost certainly the best album that Tobias Poetzelsberger has ever written, once again brilliantly staged by producer Niklas Apfel and soon to be heard throughout Austria with a great live band. "A little closer" is worth it.