Shatten's 'Gegenwart' Blends Wavepop with Unflinching Reality

Hamburg band Shatten, formed from the remnants of Findus, releases their second album 'Gegenwart' (Present), offering a candid look at contemporary life through wavepop. The album features catchy choruses and a sense of collective embrace, despite the harshness of the world. Critics have compared their sound to a mix of Tocotronic, Kraftklub, and Editors, with the camaraderie of Thees Uhlmann. However, the album's standout moments include the track 'Wuppertal,' where a cheap drum machine accompanies lyrics about nostalgia, belonging, car theft, freeing prisoners, hunting Nazis, and screaming Germany into rubble—possibly a fitting description of everyday life in May 2026. Another track, 'Paranoia,' references 'replacement bus service in Gütersloh,' Katherina Reiche, Trump's Iran war, and long waits for psychotherapy, weaving them into a coherent image that invites dancing.