shame: Cutthroat [Album Review]

shame
Cutthroat
Dead Oceans [2025]

“On Cutthroat, shame sharpen their edge with John Congleton’s sheen, balancing risk, restraint, and reckless fun.”

Album Overview: At the Fire Note we’ve felt that shame has always been a band worth following. I got to know them best when they dropped their sophomore album (arguably their best) Drunk Tank Pink. The band exploded onto the scene with jagged punk riffs and dynamic song structure that could turn on a dime and always had you thinking what could be next. Even with Food For Worms the band fosters an emotional core along with the aggressive and ramshackle charm that helps hold their music together.

Their fourth album Cutthroat has the band back this time with producer John Congleton (St. Vincent and Angel Olsen) to add his particular brand of sheen to the project. This collection of 12 songs has the band going on a self-described joy-ride towards a raw, keys/synths driven journey.

Musical Style: Cutthroat comes at you raw and with a no-holds barred attitude. The South London five are swinging for the fences with this one. Which also implies that this is the band’s most straightforward release to date. Keeping the post punk roots the band ventures in a more danceable direction that comes with some drawbacks but is fun to listen to at the same time.

Evolution of Sound: Genre-bending is typically a term associated with shame. Debut, Songs of Praise was a great launch pad for what would be an incredible follow up. Drunk Tank Pink rockets at you in its punk fashion but the group explores a mathy noise and unexpected song dynamics to make the experience really memorable. 2023’s Food for Worms takes that same style and adds a personal emotion to the songs that also make them worth your listening energy. Cutthroat sees the band focus on a fuller and cleaner production style that will alienate some fans who have enjoyed their previous works.

Artists with Similar Fire: It continues that you’ll hear influences from the likes of IDLES, Fontaines D.C., and The Murder Capital. I feel heavy draws on 2000’s punk and alt rock with the energy of an At the Drive-In album along with danceable vibes of a Franz Ferdinand album too.

Pivotal Tracks: “Cowards Around” carries muscular and menacing chords back and forth, while “Quiet Life” feels like the band’s attempts at an Oasis rager with some Morrissey thrown in for good measure. “Nothing Better” brings together a trio that begins with the intensity of “Pattern Against User,” the hidden gem band that is Hooded Fang, and John Dwyer lending his guitar tone for a portion of the song. “Spartak” has the band saying, “let’s write a happy Interpol song.”

Lyrical Strength: Steen and the boys want to assemble an album of contradictions. He recently explained, “I was reading a collection of Oscar Wilde’s plays where the theme of paradox came up time and time again, and I was thinking about how that relates to human behavior. The album and lyrics are a study of what the title suggests, cutthroats. It’s using cowardice as an excuse for misdeeds or going down the wrong path.”

Final Groove: To put it plainly, Cutthroat would be the album I would listen to last with Drunk Tank Pink being first followed by Food for Worms. The songs get interesting because the band tries some ideas that don’t always work (Lampião and Axis of Evil). Then it pairs that with some fun straightforward ideas that I felt sacrificed the bands dynamic inner-song exploration that made those last two albums so exciting. I don’t feel like I’ll seek these songs out specifically but, if some randomly crossed my path I would still have fun while listening.

SHAME REVIEW HISTORY
Food For Worms (2023) / Drunk Tank Pink (2021)

SHAME LINKS
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Dead Oceans