YELLOW CAP come from the world-famous metropolis of Görlitz, which is known for…
Yes, what is Görlitz known for?? Hmm… well…
In any case, YELLOW CAP has been around for 12 years and I only know them by name. In the scene, some people will surely know the band, but they are by no means widely known across Germany.
Why that is, I can hardly answer, simply because I don’t know. The band has played a decent number of concerts and has even been on stage in Bulgaria. Good signs in themselves, but the breakthrough has yet to come.
Maybe this album can change that!
“Like it or not“ has been released on the famous Berlin ska label “Pork Pie“, which has also released albums by bands like The Busters, Toasters, Skaos, and the legendary El Bosso & die Ping Pongs. The producer was none other than Dr. Ring Ding himself!
The first song comes across almost perfectly. Listening to it immediately reminds me of The Busters. I was even asked while listening if this was the new record by The Busters. The vocals of Kay Natusch also strongly resemble a former singer of the Wiesloch band. However, the band is not a mere copy of The Busters, as they demonstrate with the second song “Times full of Haste“. The title is in English, the lyrics are in German, and the sound is a stylish mix of dancehall, dub, and ska. The walls are shaking.
The next two songs then head back towards ska and 2-tone. They are fun to listen to and personally remind me of danced-through nights in Berlin clubs.
The very fat yet delicate production of the record conveys the band's sound superbly. It surely made a difference that someone as experienced as Dr. Ring Ding was at the controls.
The album offers 13 songs, which, in addition to the aforementioned “Times full of Haste“, have other surprises in store, such as the dubby dancefloor burner “Wer want You“. That gets the hips moving even more, and the skankers take a break. Such songs are, of course, a thorn in the side of scene purists and are likely to only partially ignite live, but the band can easily kick off a nice dance evening with them.
In conclusion, it can be said that YELLOW CAP deserve to become better known with this record. The band offers a sound between danceable songs like The Busters and dub pieces that are sometimes danceable and sometimes extremely chill.
YELLOW CAP could, if they keep this up, replace The Busters when they retire from ska.
