I don’t come across a lot of punk bands with “love” in their name. Whether it’s justified or not, that led me to expect something a bit more dramatic and heart-on-sleeve than this. The music is more post-hardcore meets melodic punk, a la Hot Water Music meets Iron Chic. It’s built around singalong, harmonized choruses with some build-up and progressions that mix up the structures nicely. While it’s chord-driven punk, it’s not quite predictable and each of the seven songs sounds different. All that said, it leans closer to midtempo than up-tempo or fast.
The band comes from southern Germany and Don’t Be A Stranger is their second EP. Overall there’s a lot to like on here, though I find it almost a tale of two records. Or at least that’s what I first wrote before Google told me these mp3s are tagged in the wrong order.
The best of the record features a lot of dual vocal trade-offs that balance the energy well. Using “The Club Of Rome” as an example, the structure is similar to Hot Water Music with two singers taking turns belting out their lines. While the lyrics are cynical, there is a general positive vibe to the beat. While I mention Hot Water Music and post-hardcore, it’s not nearly as dense. The structures are more akin to your standard punk/hardcore arrangement, though some guitar and vocal concepts cull from more musically diverse sources.
I find the band less interesting when using more of a lead vocalist style. I have nothing against “Drowning” or “Ghostbuster” as songs, but they feel a little less unique. “Drowning” seems like a pretty deep track, so I wish I got a lyric sheet for a more thorough experience. Speaking of politics, the lyrics are thoughtful and, at times, pretty blunt. “Flares” (featuring Mobina Galore) is a track about patriarchy from a woman’s point-of-view. While the message absolutely needs to be heard, the intensity of the meaning seems a little in contrast to the sing-song “Yes means yes and no means no” lyrics.
As I mentioned earlier, Don’t Be A Stranger seems to hinge between two styles: more straight-forward melodic punk and dual vocal tradeoffs with a little more variety. These elements meet in the middle with “Endgenger,” which has a driving bass, well-timed harmonies and some deeper meaning. Right now I’d peg the band as DIY pop with rough around the edges elements but it seems like there is something more on the cusp, waiting to break through. The best songs shine bright, but it’s a little inconsistent.
