Earlier this week, London based band Shame released their fourth studio album ‘Cutthroat’. The record embodies the unseriously stylish nature of the group, and adds to an already stellar collection of music.
Speaking to NME, frontman Charlie Steen implied modern Britain’s need for positivity and defiance. “Cutthroat is a joyride”, said the vocalist, “It’s for the inexperienced driver. The one who wants to go fast for no reason other than it’s fun,” he added. “It’s driven by hunger. Hunger for something better. For something you’ve been told you don’t deserve.”
The album definitely represents a new path for the band, whether they stay on it is another thing, but it’s stylistically and lyrically very different from their earlier work. Namely ‘Songs of Praise’ (2018) and ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ (2021) were more pensive and introspective displays of their obvious talent. The records explore themes of sorrow and discontent, and are majorly guitar led, fitting somewhere in the borders of post-punk and rock.
This album maintains that same raw feel that the group are so iconic for, but it is reborn with an increased precision. This is especially impressive considering the bravery in the approach. The album distances Shame from continuity and pushes the boat on the genre and sound connotations fans have come to expect.
Exploring electronic sound and synthetic textures, the new approach separates their live performances from their studio sound far more than their previous work. The lyrics take a tone of defiance, which Steen describes as being “not poor me, but about f*ck you”. Both compliment each other fantastically to create a concoction of excellence.
Shame, despite their brilliance and mass following, have never been able to break into the mainstream. Extraordinarily and fairly uniquely, Shame boast one of the most impressive lists of acts who have supported them, and gone on to huge success: Fontaines DC, Wet Leg, English Teacher and The Murder Capital to name just a few. Their influence on this era of guitar music is as mammoth as it is under-appreciated.
Despite this, In an emotional Instagram post caption, the band explained why they are still going after years in the game: “We did it because it’s what we love. Even after all these years knowing each other it’s still the only thing that makes sense.”
But maybe this will be the one, Shame have been making very good music for a very long time, perhaps all it needed was a shine of polish and a hint of optimism.
Shame will take the album on tour around the UK and Europe later this month, starting in Paris and ending with a curtain call in London at the end of November.
Tickets can be found here.
