Stuttgart, Germany, 2017 - I felt low from the get-go moving there, especially considering I'd just left Asia after living there for six years. I had a landlady who was criticising my predecessor by saying he urinated on the sofa, when in fact it was a coffee stain. I started an office based job as a trainer and the whole year sucked my soul dry - the only good thing about the company is that they had sparkling water on tap - so you pop in your lemon wedge and at least there's salvation.
Luckily this album came around at an apt time, at the top of the year, and accompanied me right throughout; when coping with the perils of hedonism, when needing a soundtrack to run up the hill to, when lyrics are key to capturing questions about ones own existence. The strightforward lyrics, coupled with some of the best hooks in punk, allowed for one of the records I am thankful for most in the last 10 years. It picked me up when I was down, and there'll be more of this band on the list. No spoilers :)
