Panic Shack - Panic Shack

This self-titled album from Welsh punks Panic Shack can only really be described as a fun time. It’s a record that has very much chosen its lane and stays in it - but it’s a lane the quartet master with ease, the camaraderie between them so tangible it charms, where the likes of ‘Lazy’ and ‘Tit School’ could threaten monotony. Opener ‘Girl Band Starter Pack’ includes field recordings of the group in the bar pre-gig and that sense of grounding is an excellent vehicle to situate the songs within their specific environment. The best bits come when they tackle the mundane and transform it into something epic: ‘Pockets’ is a riotous lament rallying against the myriad of pocketless female clothing options, while ‘We Need to Talk About Dennis’ is a fantastically murky post-punk strut about that one person who takes the party too far (“Order means nothing when you’re out with me”). At times, the overly-clean production does the songs themselves a disservice, but otherwise everything about ‘Panic Shack’ feels in its right place. Book-ended by two tracks about friendship, this is a debut that presents its protagonists as a gang everyone’s going to want to join.