Millie Manders and the shutup – Shutup EP

I first came across Millie Manders and the Shutup earlier this year at Bearded Theory festival – they were an act I knew nothing about but when they came on and started their set I was seriously impressed. Now just a few months on, they’re releasing their new EP – “Shutup”. It’s their third EP since Mille Manders formed the band in 2015, and since Bearded Theory it’s a release I’ve been looking forward to.

For those of you who haven’t heard Millie Manders and the Shutup, it’s punk. Well that’s a bit of a simplification – there’s definitely a lot of punk in the sound with it’s energy and delivery, but equally the saxophones bring in more of a ska sound. Whether you call it ska or punk or something else, what’s important is how it sounds, and that’s easier to describe. Throw in vocals reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and you’re in for a musical treat.
The songs are high energy – really high energy in fact – the sort of songs that make you want to get up and jump around like a lunatic. They’re really catchy songs too, so although the EP is only 16 minutes long, there’s no way you’re just going to listen to it once – you’ll be listening to it on repeat instead.

The EP opens with “Right to life” with Millie showing off a soulful side to her vocals with a soft guitar part in the background, then a minute or so into the song, the saxophones kick in and the drums and it’s up to full speed before Millie switches to her more usual singing style (think Gwen Stefani during her time with No Doubt) and you’re into the EP properly.

The whole EP is superb. The music is incredibly catchy and full of energy, the songs are well written, the vocals are varied and consistently good, and the production is excellent. A fantastic release – highly recommended.

“Shutup” will be released on 21st September 2018

Track listing:

1. Right to life
2. Brave
3. Lollipops
4. One that got away 2