"Is this something new from Sondaschule?" I was asked when the new record from THE NO (my keyboard can't handle the slash through the 'O') was playing in my system.
Of course, it's not Sondaschule, it's THE NO.
The similarity to the band from the Ruhr area is, however, undeniable.
THE NO is a band that has formed from the legacy of NO LIFE LOST.
The 7" released on November 7, 2025, with the beautiful title "Life is Beautiful" has already been reviewed on ramtatta.de.
The link to the review is as follows:
https://www.ramtatta.de/s/reviews/f/details/id/10843/
The advance 7" sparked curiosity for the album in the gloomy November of 2025, which is now being satisfied.
The eleven songs by THE NO on "UNHEARD - The Most Beautiful Songs So Far -" are very diverse. Sometimes the songs remind one of Sondaschule, sometimes of Skaos or El Bosso and the Ping Pongs, or even of German-language songs by Mothers Pride, Frau Doktor, and occasionally Wisecräcker or Mad Caddies (if they sang in German). The melodies are absolutely danceable and a lot of fun.
The lyrics are sometimes a bit thin, or in other words, songs like "Thinking is Dangerous" or "Super Guy" have a lot of irony and try to derive their substance from exaggeration.
The sextet from Hamburg-Altona is of a certain age and doesn't have to prove anything to anyone anymore, so one can forgive them the lyrical stumbles.
THE NO is a band filled with musicians who have aged well. That can't be said for everyone. The band is practically part of the old guard of German ska bands that have written ska history in Germany. This brings back the old records of the aforementioned bands from the vinyl shelf, puts them on, and reminds one of the good times, with the note "You can still do this. Just go out, have fun, and enjoy life."
This record is a lot of fun and shows why ska was once big in Germany with German bands and how it could be again.
The album is released on the label "Flat Daddy Records," a sub-label of the legendary Pork Pie label from Berlin. This fact alone says a lot.
Let's shape a new ska wave.
