Bärchen und die Milchbubis

Bärchen und die Milchbubis’ “Jung Kaputt spart Altersheime” managed, back in the 1980s, to pull off a balancing act—one that remains unconventional to this day—between a chart contender and a punk slogan. Since the retrospective “Endlich Komplett Betrunken” (2021) and their first new album, “Die Rückkehr des Bumm!” (2023), the trio led by Annette Simons has been performing live again and has just returned from the Hamburg studio of Tobias Levin (producer for Tocotronic, Ja,Panik, Rocko Schamoni, and others). On the new album “Lach doch mal,” angry, thoughtful, and funny songs alternate. As usual, the music hovers somewhere between punk and pop. Concerts in recent years have shown that Bärchen, with their warm yet deadpan take on things, appeal just as much to fans from the 1980s as they do to those born after 2000.

“Just laugh!” Every woman knows this line when she’s not looking friendly and isn’t living up to expectations—for example, because she’s angry. There are plenty of reasons for that. Indeed, punk was invented precisely to shake off those reasons and that feeling.

But “Just laugh already” is also a motto the band uses to counter the current madness of world events. They poke fun at the tech bros, who are nothing more than “supervillains with giant cucumbers.” You can tell that Bela B is enjoying himself, too, in his duet with Annette.

When it comes to the New Right, however, the laughter sadly fades: The “Bärchen” generation was convinced that with the passing of their last Nazi relatives, that way of thinking had been overcome. Annette sings about this misconception in “Nazi-Onkel,” written less than a year before this fall’s state elections. As a direct counterpoint, the guitar on “Sandkorn” strums so defiantly that it seems as if it wants to shovel sand into the gears itself and stir up furious courage.

Other songs deal with the longing for a “crush,” disappointing friendships (“None of my friends are okay!”), and the wish that someone would tell us, “I believe in you.” In some of these songs, the punk becomes very quiet and playful, almost pop, if not outright Krautrock. “Landstraßenfieber” also has a dreamy vibe, because when you’re on the road a lot, you sometimes get lost. Especially if you’re part of “Team ADHD”!

Speaking of getting lost: Bärchen und die Milchbubis have been touring live again for five years, and anyone who’s seen them live immediately notices their joy in performing. Among the female musicians they’ve met on the road are Stefanie Schrank (vocals and synth on “Ich glaub an Dich”) and the Feige Flittchen (“Lach doch mal”). In addition to bass, guitar, and drums, you’ll occasionally hear a kazoo, a mellotron, or a ratchet.

Annette’s guitar clatters away just like in the old days. No wonder—Tobias Levin produced the album bucking the AI trend, thereby making a statement. The result is twelve very different songs full of quirky energy and a spirit of adventure. With the courage to leave things open-ended and punk in their hearts. Bärchen und die Milchbubis 2026 are as unconventional as ever—and still not done. They laugh a lot. But only when they want to.