Dutch surf rock trio Stories From Shamehill—Joris de Haan (guitars), Michiel van der Drift (bass), and Arend Keeman (drums, percussion)—took their boards from Amsterdam to East Berlin, to make waves at the Condor Recording Studios over there. A sense of freedom and burst of creativity led to the Einfach Umph! EP (great title, right?), featuring four near-instrumentals—co-producer Boris Israel (bongos, congas, percussion) provided some screams—that are as sunny as they are swinging.
Kura Kera, Pica Puta!, Romper Stomper, and Tears For Gears are all irresistible hip shakers, twisted tunes with a bright sound full of fuzz and reverb, excelling in untouched melodies and wild rhythms. Lost in the groove, found in the madness.
Einfach Umph!, recorded and mixed by Boris Israel, is out now digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Surf Cookie Records.