Marcel Winatschek

The New Rock Dwarfs

German radio started playing German music at some point without anyone making it dramatic. Years back musicians wanted a quota like France had, radio said no, that good music would get on naturally. Apparently they were right. Juli, Silbermond, Aggro Berlin basically opened that door and everything else followed.

Killerpilze did their thing. Liza Li made noise. Senta-Sofia Delliponti keeps showing up in rotation.

Star Search years back, now sixteen, signed to Universal. Scheissegal is the song that’s everywhere—teenage girl punk aimed straight at teenage girls who find Tokio Hotel too much and Bushido too much. Calculated, glossy, sweet. The lyrics are what you’d expect: straightforward, not complicated, just catchy enough to stick.

But it works because she’s executing it. Not cynical, not lazy. She knows exactly what she’s making and she’s making it well. That’s actually not nothing.