Pure Noise has quickly become a “go to” record label. They seem to have the magic touch and pretty much any release that bears their logo acts as a seal of quality and Shoreline’s third album (and first for Pure Noise), To Figure Out is no exception. It finds this young band developing their sound exponentially to incorporate everything from hardcore to emo via dance pop. It’s an eclectic mix, but Shoreline are an eclectic band, and that’s precisely what makes To Figure Out sparkle so.
Although Shoreline hail from Münster, Germany, there’s a quintessentially English undercurrent to their sound. As anyone who has grown up under its slate grey skies will attest, it’s an environment that lends itself well to melancholy and introspection, and its exactly that aesthetic into which Shoreline tap with opening shot ‘Needles’. It’s a sound that is at once resigned and defiant, and one that will immediately reel the listener in with its melodic hook. It is just one of the tension of opposites that run throughout To Figure Out as loud sections nestle next to quiet and buoyant beats are tethered by serious lyricism. This means you can also enjoy the album on several level. You can either bask in the beauty of ‘Workaround’ and soak up its golden rays or dig a little deeper (recommended) and explore its subterranean world.
For a band such as Shoreline who were born from the hardcore punk, do-it-yourself scene, it must be hard to relinquish control to a record company, yet if they had any qualms they’re not showing. To Figure Out is a confident album from a band who know they’ve found a signature sound, and subsequently this record unleashes banger after banger with ‘Seoul’ and ‘Health’ tumbling over each other in a race to pour from your speakers. That’s not to say Shoreline are generic, far from it, each of these (lucky) thirteen tracks have their own identity with the math-rock fused ‘Reviver’ linked to the pop-punk posturing of ‘Yuppie Kids’ by their very eclecticism. It’s not quite knowing what Shoreline will throw into the mix that makes an intriguing listen, and one that’ll hold your attention indefinitely.
To Figure Out? It seems that on album number three, Shoreline have found the answer.
- To Figure Out is released via Pure Noise Records on 23rd February 2024.
- Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
Track List:
- Needles
- Darius
- Workaround
- Seoul
- Health
- Reviver
- Green Paint
- Yuppie Kids
- Pen Name
- Don’t Feed
- Loose Contacts
- Interlude
- Cold Feet
