SHORELINE-TO FIGURE OUT
In their third full-length and first for new label home Pure Noise Records, German band Shoreline deliver their unique combination of Fat Wreck-style punk, early 2010s pop punk (a la The Story So Far), emo, hardcore, post-punk, and new wave. I had the opportunity to chat with Hansol Seung from the band in January, and I would definitely check that conversation out as well as it goes into more depth on the band’s backstory, influences, a lot of what went into this album, and more, which can help paint a fuller picture of the band and give more context to what I’ll be discussing here in terms of To Figure Out’s contents.
There was much more of a dance-punk flavor on this record at times than I was expecting; "Health," for example, leans into Talking Heads-type territory, and "Workaround" reminds me a lot of Nuremberg post-punk/new wave band The Robocop Kraus. "Reviver" is an upbeat number that has hints of post-punk as well, but almost has more of a Monkees 60s pop rock vibe to it if it were to be executed by one of the cohort of those pop punk bands that broke out in the early 2010s. It’s a really cool song. "Yuppie Kids" isn’t necessarily in this bucket of songs in terms of sonic ground, but it is a relatively simple yet deceptively catchy number that adds to the feeling that although To Figure Out deals with a lot of serious subject matter, there’s often a lightness to the band’s approach that prevents it from getting bogged-down in overbearing earnestness. This also makes songs like "Needles" and "Seoul" that much more impactful. Along these lines of creating a variegated experience, the dynamics of a track like "Seoul" really serve it. The soft opening and the quieter moments of the track also draw attention to the lyrics, and set the driving chorus up to hit home. "Green Paint" and "Seoul" are encapsulations of the band’s influences from the first part of the list at the beginning of the first paragraph, with "Seoul" a meditation on identity, in Seung’s words from our interview:
I am talking about my experiences as a German-Asian. We started talking about this on the last record already (GROWTH 2022, End Hits Records), but the approach was a very different one. It’s much more introspective and realizing what my cultural heritage is, trying to unlearn internalized stereotypes that I did not reflect before and connecting with other Asian kids, trying to enter and create a community.
"Cold Feet" closes the album out on a high note, a straightforward pop punk number that doesn’t overcomplicate things and instead relies on the band’s ability to execute the style at a high level.
To Figure Out is a strong offering with a lot going for it. It’s full of pleasant surprises, a fresh combination of different sounds, all of which feel organic and flow together seamlessly. The future looks bright for Shoreline: they’re touring their asses off, they’ve got the support of a great label in Pure Noise, and they’re clearly talented and have something meaningful to say. I already can’t wait to see what they do next, but in the meantime I’ll keeping returning to this record!
