Shellycoat – Hide The Knives CD (Fond Of Life Records)

Shellycoat is an impressive pop-punk quintet emanating from Hamburg, Germany. Right with the first beats of their latest record, I fell in love with their sound and somehow left me wondering how I am discovering this band for the first time. Hide The Knives is their latest offering to the broader audiences that offers thirteen compelling pop-punk songs. Previously, Shellycoat published some impressive recordings, such as Tales From The Swamp EP, acoustic single End This Haze, a debut full-length Hours Left To Stay, second full-length Neonsomnia, and another acoustic single named Alistair MacLean.

With the impressive vocals of Karem Eumes, Shellycoat are hard to miss. Her voice bursts with so much confidence, power, and style at the same time. Right with the first chops of her well-defined wide-ranging vocal abilities, Shellycoat will instantly become your favorite European pop-punk group. Both stamina and confidence burst from her vocal cords, and it seems she sings with such ease. She reaches lows and highs with a range of nearly two octaves, and her vocals suit the band with appealing maneuvers. Energetic guitars liberate various polyphonic acrobatics beneath appealing vocals through well-synchronized dualities. Rhythm guitar solely relies upon detailed four-chord progressions, while the lead guitar provides appropriate harmonizations over it. Both guitars sound tight throughout the album, with occasional explorations into more indie waters.

The rhythm section saturates these orchestrations through very precise acrobatics, and it goes beyond standard musicianship we all expect from a pop-punk group. The drumming performance is precisely executed, defined, but also delicate when needed. Besides some classic pop-punk rhythm, the drummer deals with more complex rhythms and segments. Therefore, Shellycoat appears more dynamic than the vast portion of contemporary pop-punk groups. The bass guitar has a role of an adhesive component. It goes in between brilliant drumming performance and guitar orchestrations, but it is equally hearable in the mix. Just like the remaining portion of the group, the basslines stand out with exceptional performance provided through a controlled dosage of massive chunky tones.

Hide The Knives includes thirteen incredibly compact compositions, written, composed, and produced according to the contemporary pop-punk scene standards. However, there’s something about the Shellycoat that pops them up from the rest of the pop-punk scene. Whenever they speed up or perform in more moderate tempos, or whenever they include some calmy or more dynamic moments, Shellycoat doesn’t appear as a classic pop-punk group. There’s something about their accentuations, impressive lead vocal abilities, experienced musicianship of the entire group that hides more than meets the eyes. Hide The Knives is a marvelous album that includes loads of potential radio hits, hiding on the nearest corner, and waiting more than ready to be discovered.

Hide The Knives comes on a beautiful transparent golden marbled vinyl and a digipack compact disc. Head over to Fond Of Life Records for more detailed info about ordering, but also make sure to check out their impressive roster that includes loads of brilliant artists.