More about: Shame

Shame’s third album, Food For Worms, puts the London five-piece back at the forefront of the alternative scene with a fresh and forward-thinking sound.

They’re a band who were there in 2018, when punk revivalism was taking its first strides to become the dominating sound in the UK’s underground. Their debut album, Songs Of Praise came to be one of the key releases of that year, and its introspective follow-up, 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink, proved the band were more than a flash point of a new scene.

Fast forward to 2023, a year which has already seen post-punk bands break free from their genre-prescribed constraints to explore more progressive alternatives, and Shame find themselves in the thick of it again with Food For Worms - the self-professed “Lamborghini of Shame records.”

That description seems to ring true. Flamboyant showmanship runs through the album’s musical consistency, which combines the ferocity of Songs Of Praise with the unpredictability of Drunk Tank Pink for something bigger and undeniably better. Tracks like ‘Yankees’, ‘Burning By Design’ and ‘The Fall Of Paul’ all exhibit dynamic and untethered instrumentation that pushes a progressive and forward-thinking ethos. Similarly, ‘Adderall’, a song that features vocals from Phoebe Bridgers - though good luck trying to hear her - builds from placid guitars into a mass of garage-rock turmoil and, along with the wah-drenched ‘Six Pack’, offers the best of the album’s more reforming tracks. 

The record’s lyrics also see a progression which, while they’re mostly delivered in a typically sharp, Steen-esque fashion, are detached from the themes of its predecessor. We see frontman Charlie Steen focusing on the world outside rather than the one within, appreciating the relationships in his life. The slow-moving, Black Country New Road indebted, ‘Orchid’ (“Every time I hold your hand/I feel something different in your palm”) and the swelling final track, ‘All The People’ (“All the people that you’re gonna meet/don’t throw it all away because you can’t love yourself”), both exhibit the shift in the frontman’s psyche; from gritty nihilist to extroverted appreciator. 

The record’s new and dexterous approach does encounter a couple of teething problems, and some tracks appear to lack a clear direction. ‘Different Person’ moves with an erratic fluidity, displaying an array of sounds over its five-minute run time, doing so in a way that lacks a purposeful punch. Similarly, the thundering ‘Alibis’ floats slightly adrift of a focal point, creating an air of confusion. 

"It sees Shame in a period of evolution, seeking a path to follow and serving as a reminder - as if we even needed one - of the band’s vitality."

The record is not devoid of crowd-pleasers to remedy this though, opener ‘Fingers Of Steel’ is a triumphant indie rock anthem that may well be the best on here; showcasing the punch other parts of the record lack. Likewise the aforementioned ‘All The People’ - the best closer to an album you’ll hear for a while - is an emboldened display of musicianship that wraps around a single musical and lyrical theme.

The combination of accessible and progressive sounds means the record comes with a slight instability, but it's an instability that the band seem comfortable in; it’s not a record of playlist fodder, nor is it too left field to dance to. It sees Shame in a period of evolution, seeking a path to follow and serving as a reminder - as if we even needed one - of the band’s vitality. 

Though some tracks may need a bit of wearing in, Food For Worms will likely prove to be an indelible step in Shame’s sound.

Food For Worms arrives Friday 25th February

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: Shame