ItchyAll We Know

There are some bands that are down-the-line, no bones about it when it comes to their sound and genre. They have depth in their area of expertise and more often than not, the results are great.

Then there are bands like Itchy, dropping records like All We Know that are just a bedlam of different styles, genres and influences, making it damn hard to pigeonhole and write about. More often than not, that’s a really great thing.

There isn’t anything wrong with bands going down a certain road and perfecting their abilities. However, it’s hard to listen to the first two tracks of All We Know: the bluesy thunder of Stuck With The Devil and the anthemic pop-rock of Keep It Real and not appreciate just how much creative energy goes into making a truly diverse record that still has a sense of unity.

Granted, a listen to the chorus of the aforementioned Keep It Real will probably evoke an element of cringe, with vocalist Sebastian Haffner crying aloud the ode of “I am more than I know, when there’s nowhere to hide, rising up from it all, take control of my life.” Things are a tad Bon Jovi, and the only people who can get away with that are the real Bon Jovi. Despite this, there are enough good rhymes and tales about consumerism, existential crisis and true IDGAF attitude to cover this blemish.

Itchy provide a soundtrack to accompany you through whatever mood you might find yourself in.

More than anything, Itchy provide a soundtrack to accompany you through whatever mood you might find yourself in. Nothing provides the Queens Of The Stone Age angst to detox from life’s sameness, whilst Before You Go is a curve ball of folky pop-rock with all manner of ‘woahs’ and ‘ooos’ to transport any seasoned punk veteran back to the days of rollerskates and six o’clock curfews.

Admittedly, regardless of what world you’re in, it’s hard to make a 15-track record of diverse and engaging rock & roll without running into the inevitable ‘filler’. The Sea presents itself as a pseudo ska shanty, but ends up being a dynamically lacking tale of a longing to escape the sameness of life. The issue is, the music reflects the very same feeling, leaving 3 minutes of material that could surely be shedded from a record bursting at the seams.

However, for the most part All We Know holds together as a colourful and fun record of digestible tunes with a meaty centre. Things move at a rollicking pace, shifting between the Simple Plan-like energy of Day In Day Out, to the light-hearted bop of Go To Sleep, but everything has an undeniable youthful enthusiasm. It’s an impressive feat given this is the seventh record from the German outfit. It might shift moods, sound confusing and seem to go that little bit too far at times. But on All We Know, Itchy have produced one of the more interesting punk records of the year that will run the risk of going unnoticed on this side of the equator. If Will Wagner’s tales of public lunacy don’t offer enough diversity, give this record a spin.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Nothing, Black, Stuck With The Devil
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Fidlar, The Delta Riggs, Primus

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