Kaptain Kaizen Für 3 Minuten 11 LP
On their third album Für 3 Minuten 11, Mannheim, Germany’s KAPTAIN KAIZEN rip through ten tracks of melodic punk rock with emo and indie influences, all played with a fired-up intensity that keeps the whole thing moving forward. The title tips its hat to the pop song attention span, and most of these tunes land right in that neighborhood. The musicianship and vocals are solid, though they mostly ride in the same lane the whole time. The songs feel fun, urgent, and sincere—sometimes like a less aggressive, later-period LA QUIETE. I don’t speak German, but the album’s Bandcamp page says they’re singing about political fakery, media spin, and colonial messes, which gives the whole thing some real weight under all that catchy energy.