In the artist's words:

SHARK TRAILS from Giessen love the loud emo guitar sound of the noughties, riffs bathed in reverb and sometimes filigree plaid-shirt folk, which is also reflected in their record cabinets, where Appleseed Cast, As Friends Rust and Circa Survive stand harmoniously alongside Captain Planet or Chuck Ragan.

No question: SHARK TRAILS are not a young band (anymore). The individual band members played on many stages in Germany and Europe with their previous bands (Stand der Dinge, Shadowpainter, Sometimes Go, Dear Diary and Colourful Grey) over 20 years ago. And admittedly: The times when their respective band(s) were the No. 1 thing in life for them were a while ago. In the meantime, they are confronted with "real life": serious jobs, families, children. Their priorities have changed, but the loud, distorted guitars have remained.

This makes it all the more remarkable that SHARK TRAILS have now released their first single, "And Screamed For Help", which awakens the emo spirits of the 00s and throws songwriting that was thought to have disappeared back onto the tableau with all its might. Equal parts angry and melodic, the song revolves around a personal cry for help in situations where you think you can't sink any lower. In view of the general political situation, the attack on democracy and the growing disregard for human rights, it is also somehow a parable on the state of the world. Sometimes the only thing that helps is to shout out loud. A song that sounds as if Chuck Ragan has joined Circa Survive.

SHARK TRAILS like to look left and right musically - and that's exactly what you can hear: each of the five songs has its very own character. What unites them is their shared love of dynamics, melody and sophisticated harmonies as well as their two characteristic vocals. SHARK TRAILS like to play with conventions, deliberately break up classic song structures and allow themselves the luxury of presenting five different parts in one song. You often find yourself wishing that a part could be repeated as a chorus to bawl along to. But instead, the band prefers to present you with a new melody or an unexpected break - and it works.

This attitude makes the EP exciting, varied and surprisingly long-lasting - even on continuous rotation. And while you are still busy listening to individual passages, the band is already working on new material. So you can be curious.