Lyrically, the collective that is PTTRNS speaks in a communal voice. Connecting to their previous work, which focused on the possibilities of individual instances of sense-making, "Material und Geschichte" frames these instances as ways of relating, as the presents of a future solidarity. This is mirrored in the production values of the record, which, as is usual for the band, is a communal effort. The record boasts a cast of notable collaborators in Rabea Erradi (Die Heiterkeit, Sleep) on saxophone, Sonja Deffner (Jason & Theodor, Die Heiterkeit) on clarinet and vocals, and Andreas Spechtl on vocals and guitar; the artwork is designed by longtime friends Our Polite Society. The result is the document of an everfuture collective: an album of free music, and the most mature and profound statement yet of a unique group.