Shellycoat from Hamburg is a band that has existed in various incarnations for quite some time. Originally rooted clearly in punk, they have evolved into something else over the span of their three albums. But what the hell have they become? In the fall of 2024, their fourth album will be released on Not Sorry Records, and on this one, they are even harder to categorize than before.

The fastest song in the band’s history slams the skate-punk pedal to the metal, with pop choruses, dark and morbid indie songs... and is that seriously a 50-piece gospel choir? Well, why not? Stagnation is not an option for Shellycoat. The 10 songs were entirely self-produced – and it didn’t hurt that guitarist Markus was working at one of Hamburg's most renowned studio complexes at the time, with access to resources that have been used by well-known artists to create much bigger projects. The result is a rollercoaster ride from quiet to loud, from in-your-face to indie-disco, all held together by singer Karen's multifaceted vocals.

Certainly, a band read as "punk" will be asked, "is this still punk?!" but: absolute indifference to these expectations – that’s kind of punk too, isn’t it?