ALBUM: All We Know ARTIST: Itchy
When you're up to album number seven, it's pretty safe to say you're onto a good thing - but German pop punks ITCHY aren't the type to play it safe, and their latest album 'All We Know' is a real coming of age for the trio from Eislingen an der Fils.
The band itself has been around since 2001 (previously known as ITCHY POOPZKID...perhaps one of their smartest moves was shortening the name), and between then and now they have certainly kept themselves busy playing more than 900 shows across 20 countries, starting their own record label - and of course, busting out a heap of albums. Their previous release 'Six' dropped in 2015, but their latest material is their most exciting yet. For a group seemingly lumped into the punk category, 'All We Know' kicks off with a real dirty blues rock twang on 'Stuck With the Devil', and the entire album to follow is an irresistibly groove-laden ride. 'Keep It Real' steers back into the upbeat punk, with big choruses and hazy razor riffs, while tracks like 'Nothing' and 'Before You Go' drizzle some rosy sunshine into the mix. The album boasts 14 tracks, but each are bite-sized snippets and no song outstays their welcome throughout the enticing (nearly) 40 minutes.
There's whiffs of a whole host of influences throughout 'All We Know', from hints of Fall Out Boy on the chant-tastic 'Danger', and even a seemingly small wink to fellow Germans Milky Chance on 'The Sea'. Alongside anthemic vocals and hooks galore there's also, as expected with the genre, some power laden social commentary. But the overall effect is a positive one, and the album is from start to finish a catchy spectacle - these German lads sure know how to scratch that itch.
BY TIANA SPETER