A little more than a year after the release of their first EP »Class Craic«, Stonks is already a completely different band. There have been changes in the line-up as Antoine Raskinet has now taken over bass, but most importantly, the past year has made each member "ask themselves questions they never had to ask themselves before." In response, Stonks decided to exorcise their fears through an extended creative deepening, with the help of their long-time collaborator Jacopo Donelli, alias painful2remember, for the five tracks of the new EP »Badger«. The sound is still post-punk noise, but the influence of the shoegaze scene beautifully illustrates the evolution of the Brussels band, providing a rich background where introspection justifies the explosion. With an average age of 22 years, the "leaderless" band has matured and has clearly distanced itself from its hybrid identity as neo-city dwellers "between forest and pavement": The carefree spirit of Class Craic is now behind them; Stonks fully accepts the loss of lightness and darkens the atmosphere.Although reluctantly confronted with the end of innocence, the quartet maintains the tension and gains depth, always well supported by the soaring horns of the indispensable trumpeter Mathis Jeanne, who either plays a distorted death knell or conjures up cinematic melancholy, depending on the mood. Like many of their illustrious predecessors, Stonks have dived into the eternal well of existential doubt. With »Badger« they dare to emphasise contrasts, embrace ambivalences and orchestrate their reflections with unsettling maturity. CD2026New