Electro-pop with jazz influences and elements of indie is certainly not a matter of course among all the diverse music mixtures that can be found online these days. But with their first singles, “Egalität” (2019) and “Motototo” (2020), Pudeldame have already skilfully mastered this stylistic balancing act. The quartet from Lübeck consists entirely of students from the Lübeck and Hamburg music academies who have learnt their craft from scratch. The band’s catchy sound emphasises this time and again, for example, when unconditional danceability, clever lyricism, and funky arrangements stroll hand in hand towards the sunset. In any case, albums such as “Kinder ohne Freunde” (2021) and “Come On Humanity” (2023) – the latter of which was released last year to critical acclaim – represent a brilliantly successful balancing act between rousing grooves and a thoughtful analysis of the present, albeit without the need to give anyone the middle finger. Pudeldame take a critical look at the status quo but never let it get them down. And that, too, is a feat that doesn’t happen every day.