Panic Shack – Panic Shack

This absolute riot of a full-length debut by Cardiff upstarts Panic Shack is precisely what it sounds like – the unvarnished soul of five mates having a laugh. Both the lyrics, infusing everyday observations with caustic wit, and the sound of the album will invite comparisons with Kathleen Hanna’s oeuvre, with the band as much at home with stomping pop-rock (Tit School; Do Something) as they are inflecting their sound with some squelchy electronics (Lazy).

The freewheeling spirit of everybody from Ramones to Ex Hex is a sonic constant on Panic Shack, allowing them to tackle myriad topics with droll lyrics that are frequently laugh out loud, from Unhinged – comprised entirely of actual lines from Hinge profiles – to Pockets, a brilliant lament of fashion choices making bags a necessity. They tackle weightier subject matter too, skewering size-zero culture on Gok Wan and railing against sexual harassment on SMELLARAT, but insist that their raison d’être is primarily having a good time. And if Panic Shack has a constant theme running through it, it’s an appreciation of the power of female friendship, as crystallised on the disarmingly earnest closer Thelma & Louise. This is one of the debuts of the year.

Listen to: Gok Wan, Unhinged, Pockets