Panic Shack album review Punk77 July 2025
Why is the best music IMHO being made by bands like The Lambrini Girls, Loose Articles, The Meffs and Panic Shack. The observant of you will notice these bands are predominantly women (or she/he/they/them) but that’s the last I say about that as it’s irrelevant to the review – a band is a fucking band. But the important thing is all these bands’ approach to music, composition, lyric subject matter and gigs are refreshingly different, feisty and imaginative and as catchy as an Abba tune when drunk. All far removed from the macho instrument posturing bollocks that still make up the majority of bands in music.
So who are Panic Shack? The below from some press release or other sums them up well.
“Panic Shack bring a riotous energy to everything they do. Formed in 2018 as a response to the stale, gatekept corners of indie and punk, they’re a band on a mission to make music fun again. With Sarah Harvey on vocals, Meg Fretwell and Romi Lawrence on guitar, Em Smith on bass, and Nick Williams on drums, their lineup is as tight-knit as their sound is loose-limbed. Their shows are a burst of scrappy, joyful defiance – part punk gig, part choreographed chaos, equal parts Go-Go’s and Iron Maiden.
Panic Shack earned a loyal following through electric live performances alone. Their approach is unfiltered and irreverent, cutting through the noise with attitude, hooks, and a sense that none of this needs to be taken too seriously. It’s this gleeful sense of mischief that gives their songs real bite – catchy, shout-along punk with a wink and a boot to the establishment.”
I hate comparing bands, but how else do you describe them or give reference points? I’d say if you like Loose Articles, you’d like Panic Shack because both are musically varied, catchy as fuck and with wry, observational pointed humour. PS arguably have a tougher and punkier sound.
So, the album – they’ve been going for 7 years now, so it’s been a long time coming, but again, it’s all killer, no filler, as they say! Punk seems like a lazy term to describe a band because people think of buzzsaw guitars and shouty vocals. Yes, there’s some of that, but it’s also a glorious concoction of dance beats, pop, synth, and indie. The cover sets out their stall – big bold and right in your face with a selection of whaletails or nothing. If you have OCD you’ll probably stress that ‘shack’ & ‘panic’ on the thongs are not in the right order! 🙂
Girl Starter Pack kicks proceedings off and explodes and fizzes like a shaken bottle of prosecco.
Songs like Personal Best, Pockets and Do Something are full-on punk that rush at you but are laden with hooks and humour.
Some great lyrics in songs like Lazy – “Turn my knickers inside out one more time” – love the almost techno drum and bass feel of this and Tit School delivered dead pan “ I didn’t go to Brit school. I went to tit school. I didn’t get straight A’s. I got double DD’s.”
Pockets – has one of those observations that I never thought about with dresses and skinny jeans and girls which is where do they put their stuff when they go out? It turns out they turn into smugglers with vapes secreted in bras and so on.
We Need To Talk About Dennis, Hang Me Out, Unhinged (complete with trumpet), & Smell A Rat are probably my favourites. Well put together, funky, thoughtful and again with great lyrics.
Thelma & Louise is the closer and it’s a fantastic pop punk gem and a paean to their band friendship.
In short, a great debut. Panic Shack are the kind of band you’d happily meet by chance in a pub, get hammered and have a laugh with, dance like a lunatic with and know they’d have your back. Their album is a joyful distillation of that.
Panic Shack Facebook | Bandcamp
TalkPunk
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