Some time ago, I was sitting in the subway. It might have been a week or two ago. In the Berlin subway, alongside the everyday cinema of the world, there is also a kind of television. It's called "Berliner Fenster." In addition to news snippets and weather updates, there is always a record of the week, and the new album by SHIRLEY HOLMES was featured. Oh, I thought, finally the good taste of the intern who pushed this record in the editorial meeting as the "new big thing" is coming to light.
However, the first part of the presentation text was so abysmal that I stumbled out of the train, quite confused.
Now the album is in front of me, and I am still a bit perplexed.
SHIRLEY HOLMES from the capital create a sound that is somehow quite cool, oscillating between aggressive, rowdy post-’77 (German) punk and radio-friendly alternative rock.
The first song, which has the interesting title "Nadines Korsett," delivers exactly that post-’77 German punk sound, which is quite quirky and noisy. The tone of the two girls sharing the vocals comes across as powerful, subtly condescending, but above all, extremely self-confident. This is how one imagines a screeching punk girl. The song is definitely a real punch. It also conveys a pretty cool Berlin feeling. Rough, screechy, rhythmic, and different.
Then it continues with an English text. It becomes a bit calmer with this one. A song that could almost be categorized as alternative or post-something-core, were it not for the chorus that quickly moves forward and hits you straight in the face. About like a proper slap after a snippy comment.
If you think it lacks hit potential because you only listen to the radio, I recommend the song "Alles löst sich Auf." An insistent beat, female spoken word, and a chorus that strongly resembles Silbermond, but with the line "When the rain falls in your sugar world..." stepping exactly where you wouldn’t expect it. Here, there is self-reflection done so grandly that the band should be awarded a small medal just for that. Even though the sound itself is radio-friendly, the lyrics are not.
It’s a cheeky record that SHIRLEY HOLMES is releasing here. With this CD, they should receive quite a bit of recognition. This special mix of niceness and cheekiness is the trademark of SHIRLEY HOLMES. Det is Berlin, Alta.
Cool thing!
