Hanover’s melodic punk band Fat Belly have returned with Stories In Stereo, their long-awaited third studio album and their first full-length release in 13 years. Rooted in the fast, hook-heavy punk rock of the 2000s, the band now plays with the weight of real life behind them — new jobs, sleepless nights with kids, lineup changes, and even a global pandemic. Instead of slowing them down, these years shaped an album filled with reflection, grit, and the humor that has always defined their sound.

Active since 2005 and known for more than 300 shows across Germany, Fat Belly mix driving guitars, wide vocal harmonies, and sharp melodic instincts. On Stories In Stereo, they focus on friendship, loss, growth, and the strange feeling of watching life change around you while still trying to hold things together. Songs like “Pandemic,” “Lost & Forgotten,” and “Little Boy” look at the moments that pull people apart and the ones that bring them back together. Other tracks dive into classic punk themes: doubt, frustration, chaos, and using humor as a way to cope.

Much of the time gap between albums came from life happening all at once — raising kids, switching jobs, recovering from lineup changes, and waiting until creating new music felt right again. Now reunited in their original lineup, the band sound tighter and more honest than ever. Their mix of loud guitars and emotional storytelling carries both nostalgia and a push toward the future.

On stage, Fat Belly are still bringing the same sweaty, joyful energy they’ve shown for two decades. Whether in small clubs or on festival stages, their shows feel like a mix of reunion and release, filled with fast songs, loud choruses, and stories that become powerful, cathartic memories the moment the set ends.

With Stories In Stereo, Fat Belly return stronger, louder, and clearer about who they are — the rare type of band that grew up without losing the spark that made them start in the first place.

Check out the video for “Little Boy” off the album here: