Album Review: Dead Inside by CF98

CF98 are a Polish skate punk band who have really been making a name for themselves in recent years. So much so that this year they were given the opportunity to play Manchester Punk Festival. We all sadly know what happened there but I’m sure their mere inclusion on the line up made a few more people check them out. I was one of those people and was so excited to see them live. The festival would have been a great place to garner some attention for their (at the time) upcoming new EP, Dead Inside. After getting an early listen, I was even more disappointed not to see them in Manchester but I was excited to review the EP.

After an introduction, which I assume features samples of songs from their previous releases, we start properly with the EP’s title track Dead Inside. The song takes a little time to build and the thing that really caught my attention was the strength of lead singer Karolina’s vocals. They sound incredible on this release. If this is your first time listening to CF98, this is the perfect choice as a opening track. The poppier side of the song will ease people into the song but the track has enough edge to please the hardcore punk rockers. I enjoyed the subtle oooohs and aaahs during the song, perhaps playing a little tribute to the legendary Bad Religion? Up next is Shine On. This is actually a sub-one minute song which really surprised me. CF98 do a fantastic job of fitting a lot in to such a short track. I was genuinely surprised when I looked at the track times and realised its length. The band play at breakneck pace as Karolina sings a song about a person’s journey and how they got to where they are. The fourth song, Pink, immediately grabs your attention with the lyrics “pink is just for girls”. Hopefully anyone reading this will know that it’s not. That’s what the song is all about, not conforming to gender stereotypes and feeling trapped by them. It’s mad that it’s 2020 and there are still so many gender stereotypes, I hope that bands like CF98 can go a long way in smashing through some walls.

Oh Boy was a stand out track. I really enjoyed how the track jumps between different melodies. It not only keeps the energy high and but it also keeps the song sounding interesting. Something CF98 do really well is build towards big choruses. They build in such a way that by the time it hits you can’t wait to sing the song straight back at the band. Oh Boy is a political song that questions leaders’ need to divide their people rather than everyone working together. The penultimate track is titled Gasoline. This felt like one of the more emotional tracks on Dead Inside. On it Karolina sings about going through a particularly bad break up, feeling incredibly angry and eventually wanting to return to a safe space. This is a track that I’m sure plenty of people listening will be able to relate to in a big way. Never Quit ensures that Dead Inside finishes in a positive manner. The song talks about struggling with mental health and keeping on fighting no matter how bad things get. The lyric “you never lose if you never quit” is particularly inspiring and one I wish I had heard when I was at my lowest moments. The band add an urgency to the song that makes the song feel even more important than it already is. It makes you think “I really need to listen and pay attention to this song” which is even more important given its topic.

CF98 are one of the leading skate punk bands from mainland Europe. In the unlikely event that you haven’t checked them out yet, I suggest now is the time to start!

Stream and download Dead Inside on Bandcamp here.

Like CF98 on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.