By Mitchell Tousley
Scheissters is a punk band that formed in April, 2020 in Salt lake City. With a social media presence that is at once esoteric and in your face, this band is punk for the modern age. Their debut EP, Was Ist Scheissters, was released July 9th, 2021.
“Dada” is the opening track to this delightfully chaotic EP. It starts the project off with a kick and snare pattern that commands your attention. The guitar and bass then enter with a series of unresolved consonances very reminiscent of something the band Ought would do. The verse starts with sharp power chords and a pulsing pedal bass line. Any listener would be wise to give this track a listen with a pair of good headphones because the organized chaos of the chorus is all the more disorienting when you can hear the stereo image of the track. Many voices, coming from every direction, scream “Dada!” during the chorus. The guitar is consistent and easy to follow, yet it never plays any section of the song the same way twice. In many ways, “Dada” is a classic punk tune in that it is just as dirty, chaotic, and lofi as it is simple, organized and tuneful.
On the next track, “G.G.G.”, Scheissters channel their inner Pixies, featuring a round bass, surf-like guitar licks and grooving drums. This track may be the band’s most singable tune, despite the lyrics being German. The repetitive refrains over feedback-laced guitars make for some of the catchiest tension you’ve ever listened to.
Scheissters slow things down with “Strawberry Water,” but they don’t lose any of their intensity. “Strawberry Water” shows the band at their most dynamically thoughtful and lyrically captivating. “Drinking strawberry water like we’re living in Hollywood” sings the band while they crescendo into an explosive chorus rife with feelings of discontent: “You want what they have? They want what you have!” Never satisfied, the song begins to conclude with the singer listing off every iPhone from 5 to 12, saying each one with increasing drama before the band explodes into the biggest chorus of the entire project.
On the concluding track, “Condoms,” Scheissters brings together everything I love about the rest of the project into one song. They bring dynamic variety, gritty riffs, clever lyrics and loads of energy into a fantastic closing track.
In conclusion, Was Ist Scheissters? is a knock-out debut project from a band that is already fulfilling a lot of its potential. They’re able to capture animal-like disinhibitions while still making a song you’ll be singing to yourself at work days after your first listen. Going forward, I’d love to see the band explore all the ideas on this EP in a longer project. There’s enough variety between each song they’ve made that they could easily make a 30-45 minute project without exhausting the listener.
Make sure to follow @scheissters on Instagram. You can listen to “Strawberry Water” below!
Provo Music Magazine 