Drunk Tank Pink - shame: Review

Shame

are a British post-punk group who first turned heads in 2018 with their debut album Songs Of Praise. After it was first reported almost a full year ago the band have returned with their sophomore album which was teased with 4 singles during its lead up.

Review By Lav:

I wasn't a huge fan of shame's debut album a few years ago, it didn't hate the record or anything but it didn't stand out much for me and I don't think I ever properly reviewed it. I kept my eyes on the band though because of how much I've loved British post-punk in recent years and I'm glad I did because they dropped some seriously killer singles leading up to the record that had me pretty excited for it. While the lo-fi mixing can sometimes be a hindrance and not every experiment the band indulges with works perfectly, I still really enjoyed the record. 

The record was 3/4 on good singles before it even came out and those songs all held up pretty well in the tracklist here. Alphabet is the opener and served as the lead single as a bouncy rousing opener that channels Protomartyr with its intricate blend of instrumentation. Making out exactly what the song is about lyrically can be a bit difficult with the evocative lyrics but I'm never uninterested for a moment as the intense energy of the song never fades. Nigel Hitter comes next on the record and it feels almost Britpop inspired with a snarky vocal performance and lyrics that feel like they're dealing in societal themes, The song has a slick guitar lead that gets supremely stuck in my head and the whole song bursts with personality that I really enjoy. The single that really got me excited for what the band is capable of was Snow Day. Not only is the instrumentation intricate but it evolves a number of times in meaningful ways that completely changes the songs emotional countenance. The vocals are similarly versatile for some serious emotional punches all over the track, it's a great song. 

The singles certainly predicted that the record would be all over the place stylistically and its safe to say that's the case but the band pulls off versatility well. March Day is a great ode to laying in bed but not being able to fall asleep that I find incredibly relatable, often hilarious and well worked into the song. The groovy descending guitar lines are a ton of fun and the vocals never take themselves too seriously with call and response from the backing chorus. The whole thing is infectious and fun throughout. Human, For A Minute has a pretty good instrumental but its a major highlight from a lyrical standpoint. The track has a despondent attitude that borders on dystopian at points and yet the hook feels like a lovely moment of genuine trust in somebody to pull you out of it all. The sentiment is cute despite what its surrounded by and the song was incredibly interesting to piece together across multiple listens. 

Great Dog is the shortest track on the record that transitions out of the previous song quickly with a fiery lead guitar lead that is mixed weirdly but I kind of enjoy it. The whole song has a lo-fi almost lice feeling to it which is good for such a short track to feel so in the moment. 6/1 is an absolutely existential jam that once again wastes no time at all getting to the explosive core of the instrumental. The song is no pushover lyrically bouncing between dense metaphors about everything from God to self-image and frankly I can't get enough of it. 

Born In Luton is a multi-phased song that bounces between up-tempo passages with gritty vocals and jittery guitars and slower passages with emotional drawn out singing and a dreary sound palette. The stop and start nature is a bit tricky even though I like parts of the song on their own. The best and most memorable moment on the song is the explosive finish. Similarly the closing track Station Wagon gets off to a pretty slow start and I'm not a huge fan of the first half of the song. The whole second half of the track is a long spoken word passage that slower goes from quiet and tedious to incredibly exciting. The last few minutes of the record are some of its most intense and insane resulting in some spectacular final moments for the record.

Water In The Well was the only single I didn't love with short guitar lines over the verses that get a bit annoying when their repeated over and over. The hook is a fist pumping bar anthem that avoids feeling corny but given how much of an edge the vocals and music have it feels awkward. It isn't terrible but it certainly falls short of everything else here. Harsh Degrees is similarly decent with mixing that's fittingly harsh but I'm not sure the song actually benefits from it. The vocals are once again quite snarky but they're buried in the mix and the wiry blend of guitars that carries throughout the track starts to sound like a mess. The song has a rousing closer but its too little too late at this point in the song. 

Drunk Tank Pink is a creative heart-pounding post-punk experience that pulls off some impressive variety throughout. While the record is a bit single minded when it comes to mixing that rawness of their sound can be pretty cool when its paired with the most explosive performances the band has to offer. The intensity of the record is often match with lyrical creativity that makes for plenty of refreshing and fun songs I was excited to return to over and over again. 7.5/10

Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:

I love the diptych of this cover and it doesn't look like any other one I've seen in the past few years. The black and white is simple but striking and the text adds to the composition rather than being an eyesore. The light pink highlights the black and white color palette and the grain over the top ties it all together. Very simple but done very well! 8/10

For more post-punk check out my review of Viagra Boys Welfare Jazz here