Cardiff Punk quartet Panic Shack are fun. Extremely fun. Their debut EP ‘Baby Shack’ is a reminder of why we all fall so deeply in love with music. You cannot manufacture authenticity, especially not in a genre so based on real emotion and passion as Punk. Thankfully, throughout six tracks, the group convey exactly what makes the genre so thrilling.

Produced by Tom Rees of fellow Cardiff rockers Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, you can feel the enjoyment each member of the band is having playing these tracks. Lead singer Sarah Harvey drives each bone-shaking riff forward with her witty, humorous lyricism. Opening track ‘Who’s Got My Lighter’ grips you instantly, sometimes you hear a track and just know a band has something special, ‘Lighter’ does just that.

It cannot be understated how much of a challenge it is to both not take yourself too seriously, and still tackle hard-hitting real-world issues. ‘Jiu Jits You’ is the perfect middle finger to the leery nightclub pervert who invites himself to your table, it’s both fun and ferocious whilst pointing out a too-often occurrence for women on a night out.

Panic Shack’s greatest strength is their ability to put a lot of shared unspoken experiences into a smarty, witty and punchy 3-minute track. That can’t be felt sharpest in ‘Baby’, a reminder that not every woman wants or needs to be passed your child. “I am not traditional, and I am not maternal… kids are not for everyone, so ask before you give me one” Harvey brilliantly warns, as otherwise, you’ll be looking at “a baby-shaped hole in the wall”.

The highlight of the EP is the delightful ‘The Ick’ which drips in attitude. The punk equivalent to Dua Lipa’s ‘New Rules’ or Marina’s ‘How To Be A Heartbreaker’, it’s a set of clear instructions on how you can very swiftly put Harvey off. Let’s be honest what kind of psycho puts the milk in a tea first, or dares shush someone in the cinema anyway. A shoutout has to be given to the excellent ‘you put the nail in the coffin’ backing vocals. That style of zestful harmonisation is used frequently across the EP and echoes The Cranberries and Bikini Kill.

Sensational from start to finish, ‘Baby Shack’ is a simply sublime set of tracks.

10/10