Don't say anything about the band name. I also groaned and thought, “Not another one of those bad, scrappy German punk bands that can barely play three chords.” Even though the label already told me that the band is much better than the name suggests. After all, years of experience as a musician shape your perspective.
The first song is called “Freies Land.” Sounds like yuppie nonsense. However, the song is not like that at all. Almost overcoded, every word of the lyrics is a balancing act between subtlety and provocation. But everyone should understand the last lines: “This is a free country, mostly bad but sometimes beautiful. This is a free country, and everyone has to see how they can deal with it. Yet some complete idiots long for a country from 70 years ago.” A fitting statement regarding the Dutch election results.
The second song is an account of an experience that has probably happened to everyone in a pub. The lyrics are great again. Only song number three is somewhat funny. However, I really don't know if I can laugh at it or if it’s actually about very lonely people.
I don't want to go through every song here, but a few titles deserve special mention. For example, there’s “1-50” (keyword: party, life vs. health and reason) as well as the magnificent song “Ausgehzwang.” The song “Ich will” is also truly insane, promoting nature conservation and sustainability. A song that not only contains a lot of truth but is also one of the very few songs about nature conservation in punk. Is MOFAKETTE punk? Let's call MOFAKETTE punk for now. That alone could spark a discussion, but let’s put them in the punk drawer. And while I’m at it, stylistically, especially regarding the lyrics, they have a lot in common with SUPERNICHTS from Cologne. In the first half of the album, I would also draw a comparison to a bit of snotty DIE STERNE, but the second half of the album is more powerful and rougher. SUPERNICHTS fits well there.
Lyrically, they are very similar to SUPERNICHTS, which requires a certain intelligence to understand the lyrics. No, they are not student punks, but they are also not limited “Drink, Fuck, Oi, Shitty Cops” screamers. Punk with brains, indeed.
With their album “Restschluck,” MOFAKETTE has achieved something that very few bands manage with their first album. They are a band that should not only be noticed from now on but must be! SUPERNICHTS, bundle up, here comes MOFAKETTE!!
