The group formed in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, in 2010, but their big break didn’t come until clean vocalist Nico Sallach joined in 2020. The music they make is a riotous combination of various electronic dance music styles and metalcore, made all the more fun by the band’s wicked comedic themes and humorous co-ordinated outfits. The sound was fully unlocked by Sallach’s voice, which would sound at home in any pop or EDM track, and when his first single with the band, 2020’s ‘Hypa Hypa’ released, it instantly became their most-popular song and opened them to a far-wider audience.

Since sixth studio album ‘Tekkno’ released in 2022, Electric Callboy’s ascent has been unstoppable. Backed by high-energy singles and their brilliant music videos like the 80’s-inspired ‘Hypa Hypa’, ‘We’ve Got The Moves’ with its bonkers hardstyle drop, and the outrageous ‘Tekkno Train’, they have over 600 million views on Youtube and nearly 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Their live show full of lights, pyrotechnics and costume changes has also become one of the wildest around, balancing all the features of both a heavy metal show and a rave into one exciting package. Since career highlights including a co-headline set at the UK’s Slam Dunk festival and a sold-out show at London’s Alexandra Palace last year, Download Festival have taken notice and given them a prime main stage slot this year.

In the current climate for recorded music, Electric Callboy adopted the now-common approach of releasing multiple singles over a stretch of time in favour of building to an album, having put out 4 singles and two covers since 2024. After releasing the single ‘Tanzneid’ last October and wrapping up their last world tour, the band took to social media to build suspense for a prospective announcement this week. Behind-the scenes clips showed them tracking vocals in the studio, as well as unboxing clothes to be used in their music videos.

New album ‘Tanzneid’ was unveiled on Tuesday the 14th of April, with a tracklist including the past singles ‘Tanzneid’, ‘Revery’, ‘Elevator Operator’, ‘RATATATA’ featuring Babymetal, and their cover of Sum 41’s hit ‘Still Waiting’. Further information came on the 15th about their new single ‘Hypercharged’ releasing on the 16th as a promotional crossover with mobile game Brawl Stars, advertising a new character for the game with the accompanying music video.

‘Hypercharged’ released today, and is every bit an Electric Callboy single, from its eurobeat intro that builds to its heavy, screamed pre-chorus, and its saccharine pop-metal chorus. The band’s fearless approach to smashing genres together works so well with the mix of both metal drumming and EDM drum machine tracks here. The music video is one of their less playful, shifting between footage of the band members and footage from the game Brawl Stars. In the 10 hours since it was uploaded to Youtube, it has already been viewed over 5 million times, a popularity unseen for most heavier acts.

In a statement the band spoke about the album, describing how after ‘Tekkno’’s extensive campaign, they refocused themselves for the new material: “With TANZNEID, we wanted to create something special, for our fans and for ourselves. Every track surges with energy. We took what we loved about TEKKNO and pushed it further, adding new elements, new sounds, and new extremes. Heavy beats, explosive drops and moments that hit you right in the chest. The last singles RATATATA and Hypercharged were just the beginning. Now it’s raw, loud and alive, in every pulse, every scream, every melody. We wanted to match our music with your adrenaline, to create a record that pulls you onto the floor, makes your heart race and doesn’t let go.”

‘Tanzneid’ is scheduled to release on the 7th of August 2026, and Electric Callboy say it’s “built for the stage. So turn it up, lose yourself and dance like no-one’s watching.” Physical and digital pre-orders are live now on the band’s website, and new single ‘Hypercharged’ is up on streaming platforms. On the concert front, they’re bringing their one-of-a-kind show to the US through April and May, before a summer festival tour of Europe, finishing with a run of dates in Japan and Australia. UK fans can catch them at Download Festival on Friday the 12th of June. Their final announcement is an album release show at Berlin’s Escalation Fest this August, where fans can book a ride on the ‘Tekkno Train’ to the festival and hear all of the new tracks live.

Since their inception in 2003, vocalist Rou Reynolds, guitarist Rory Clewlow, bassist Chris Batten and drummer Rob Rolfe have continuously evolved their sound. Enter Shikari is best known for a lively fusion of rock, hardcore punk, and electronic dance music. In the early days, they leant heavily into the hardcore and rave elements, but ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ saw them embrace a vibrant synth-pop style while still maintaining a strong rock presence. The band has also been lauded as one of the top British live acts of the last 20 years, since their breakthrough as rowdy rave-rockers through to their current era of arena-crushing rock with a heart.

Since announcing their tour dates for the UK, Europe and North America back in January, Shikari returned to radio silence. The group had not released any material since ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’, which was a UK Number One Album in 2023, and its remixed companion piece ‘Dancing On The Frontline’ in 2024. Last night however, their Instagram account was again cleared of content, save for one post revealing the surprise release of ‘Lose Your Self’, which had snuck its way onto the internet at midnight.

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In a newsletter, Reynolds explained the rationale behind its low-key launch: “We’re delighted to present LOSE YOUR SELF, and give people the chance to hear a Shikari record like never before – as a cohesive whole. We want people to go on a proper journey with this album, and see where it takes them. No lead up, no singles, and no explanation. Forcing the listener to actually listen, without being drip-fed ideas out of context, or spoon-fed explanations. We simply present it all, for the listener to immerse themself in. Releasing in this way was also a decision to not be distracted by chart races, or accolades and things. We got the No.1 album on our last record. This is simply about the music being presented in a natural way.”

Enter Shikari have always packed their albums and live shows with messages of hope, critiques of the state of the world and urgent pleas for causes like environmental sustainability and peace. The theme of this one seems to be a stark look at the current affairs around AI, with a heavy emphasis on introspection and a cultural loss of humanity. Reynolds finishes the post with the statement “Despite turning out to be one of our darkest and heaviest albums to date, it also preaches hope and offers answers. Shikari will always offer hope, because without hope there is no action. We’ll just always offer it with a dose of realism.”

The title track ‘Lose Your Self’ is a classic Enter Shikari opener, blasting in with big riffs and an EDM feel reminiscent of the band’s live cover versions of Faithless’s ‘Insomnia’. Later songs like ‘Find Out The Hard Way’ are upbeat anthems, while the darkness and negativity comes through in ‘I can’t keep my hands clean’ and both parts of ‘The Flick Of A Switch’. The peak of the album is its genius three-part closing suite ‘Spaceship Earth’, where the feelings of hope begin to flutter up and the boys really get to show off their composing chops on a progressive-rock movement.

Shikari played their first live show of the year in Manchester this week, making an intimate return to the 400-capacity venue Satan’s Hollow on the 9th of April. Their last show there in 2006 stuck with the members as a significant milestone in their ascent to the big leagues. Last night, they announced an April run of small-venue launch shows, which they promise will “give fans a unique experience to see the band up close and personal, and a chance to see the brand new songs live for the first time.” Then, they’re back on the road for their North American tour through the summer, before finishing in November for their Europe, UK and Ireland headlining dates.

‘Lose Your Self’ is out now on streaming platforms, as well as on physical releases available from their official sellers. Catch Enter Shikari touring the album this year on these dates:

April Release Shows:

• 21 – The Academy, Dublin
• 23 – The Cavern, Liverpool
• 24 – The Fighting Cocks, Kingston
• 25 – Signature Brew, London

November UK Tour With Holding Absence & The Callous Daoboys:

• 13 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
• 14 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
• 15 – Connexin Live, Hull
• 18 – Hydro, Glasgow
• 19 – Co-op Live, Manchester
• 20 – Alexandra Palace, London
• 21 – Alexandra Palace, London