THE OUT OF YOUTH...didn't you forget an “H”?
No, I didn't. That's what they're called.
Who?
Well, they, THE OUT OF YOUTH.
What is that?
That's not punk, those are artists from southern Germany.
Aren't they punk too?
Is it punk to criticize the system in which one has always fared well?
I don't know, many people are still worse off than us.
Mmmh...
Such dialogues can be continuously held while listening to the debut of the Freiburg band THE OUT OF YOUTH, and when after a good 36 minutes silence reigns, the doubts, the questioned questions, and the contradictions have only multiplied.
The trio from the beautiful city in southwestern Germany packs more content into their debut than many bands do in ten years of band history. There is a broadside against everything and everyone.
Titles like
The SPD is pushing away
Defend yourself against the duty!
Antifa on a school trip
Fuck minimum wage
or
We're building ourselves a house
show that they are engaging very intensively with the here and now. Other bands do that too, but not like the Freiburgers. Here, the essence of it all is extracted and conveyed in a way that is easily understandable in the lyrics.
THE OUT OF YOUTH doesn't care at all about style and guidelines. There are punk rock songs that often remind one of bands like Supernichts or Detlef, but Toxoplasma is not too far off either. “Mollis aus Champagnerflaschen,” a great title of the protest boheme, comes out smooth and silky from the speakers with a vocal reminiscent of Kettcar.
In “Mold cultures of all subjects unite,” everyone can guess how many songs are hidden in the track. The song reminds me both lyrically and musically of the sound of the post-reunification era in the left spectrum, between squatter and confused artist collective.
“Defend yourself against the duty!” could also come from the good days of the Terrorgruppe.
“Antifa on a school trip” somehow reminds me of Antilopen Gang or K.I.Z..
THE OUT OF YOUTH doesn't just hit the board; they thunder with all their might again and again on the wood. They don't do this with aggressive lyrics or a pounding drum, but much more subtly, with words that have much more impact than a loud tirade of hate.
If you ever wonder what punk still is and whether it has been dead for ages and is only kept alive by the eternally nostalgic, I say to you, listen to THE OUT OF YOUTH!
This is the future of punk!
