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Akne Kid Joe – 4 von 5
Album | 07/06/2024 | Kidnap Music / Cargo Records
34:07 | 14 tracks | Vinyl/CD/Digital
Deutschpunk / Synth Punk
Nuremberg, Germany
AKJ Penultimo
4 von 5 (German: 4 out of 5) stands for the highest possible rating in Germany. A typical feedback looks like this:
everything was perfect | 4/5 Stars
[insert typical German name]
The fourth album by Nuremberg’s Akne Kid Joe is also called 4 von 5, and apparently it is nout about the rating but about the band’s plans to split after album number five. On the album, we even get a hint what the final release might become: Lass die Band auflösen, aber vorher noch ein Weihnachtsalbum rausbringen (German: Let’s disband, but release a Christmas album before). Whether they are serious, we shall find out in the future.
Social Meltdown in Thirteen Short Tales
Akne Kid Joe have definitely become more serious over the course of their career. Their fourth album shows that the band deals with disunion, social struggles, and the insanity of our post modern world. They have always been political and cynical, but 4 von 5 appears more bitter than previous releases. Nevertheless, AKJ are still AKJ, and thus they are still self-reflected, sarcastic, and punk-effin-rock.
Musically, 4 von 5 is the logical consequence of the band’s previous development. You can use terms such as Deutschpunk, Garage Rock, or Synth Punk for categorising the album. AKJ have gained professionality, and their songs are more diverse than before.
9 von 10
4 von 5 is proof that Akne Kid Joe can do a lot of things, but producing bad albums is not part of this list. The fourth album is significantly longer in duration than its predecessors, and probably this is the only weak spot of 4 von 5. In the later phase of the B-Side (or, the 2 von 2-Side), AKJ lose their listeners‘ attention a bit. Maybe one or two songs less would have made the final part catchier. Nevertheless, the level of entertainment is very high.
9/10 Mangoes (that’s 4,5 von 5!)
We will dance again
Mia Schem
Promo material by courtesy of Rookie Records
