We people with leather jackets, a hard look on our faces, and attitude in our souls, we also have a heart, a mostly very sensitive heart, a heart made of glass.
Heart of Glass, that’s the name of the new album by THE OFFENDERS.
THE OFFENDERS, a band that has been tirelessly touring both domestically and abroad for years and releases a new album or at least a single or an EP almost every year, will release a new album on January 12, 2018. Again on Destiny Records, from Kreuzberg.
The now well-established concert on December 30 of each year at Clash in Berlin-Kreuzberg, usually the only concert of the band in Berlin, showed last year that the band’s style has changed.
Valerio was much more relaxed at the microphone last year. He moved around on stage, which he hardly did before, and was overall really relaxed. Just as there were changes with the singer, there were also changes in the music. It is no longer purely Ska and Reggae with Punkrock influences, but now it’s more Punkrock, Streetpunk with some Ska and Reggae influences. This change may not only find friends in the scene, but one must say that it was really good live and fun. There was more pressure behind it, and as long as the mix of the setlist is right, both THE OFFENDERS on stage and we in front of it win.
The 14 songs of “Heart of Glass” are a solid snapshot of the direction the band has already taken. They are melodic songs that are fun, encouraging sing-alongs and dancing. However, there is more street and punkrock in it.
The songs are mostly in English, partly like in “Wie geht’s?” with German interjections. The lyrics are drawn from life. Whether it’s “Wie geht’s?” which shows that hardly anyone cares about how one really is, but only recites clichés, or “Kotti is not L.A.”. Personal experiences that have been processed in the song cannot be ruled out. The commercialization of Berlin, the behavior of tourists, the despair of people living in Kreuzberg who feel like animals in a zoo, all of this is addressed. “Boots & Braces (don’t mean racist)” is a clear statement and unfortunately overdue. Probably controversial, but more than reflective, that is “My Darling A.C.A.B.”.
Lyrically, the band has remained demanding. This continues to make the band honest, authentic, and a band that doesn’t want to tell you with beautiful colorful pictures how great life is. It’s not that great, but maybe we make it a little better every day, and we shouldn’t forget to celebrate together. Times are not getting better, so we have to get better. More solidarity means more hope, and more hope perhaps also a slightly better world.
With “Heart of Glass,” THE OFFENDERS have released an album that is different compared to their earlier albums, but that doesn’t mean they are aiming for commercial success or marketing; rather, the album was made by the band because life has shaped them that way.
I hope that some readers from ramtatta.de will be at Clash in Berlin on December 30 and celebrate a hot and long party with the band. More tour dates can be found on the band’s homepage or on the band’s Facebook page.
For vinyl lovers: There are 500 records in blue vinyl. Order quickly!!
