Shame (UK)
Food For Worms


4.0
excellent

Review

by theBonerKing USER (20 Reviews)
March 8th, 2023 | 46 replies


Release Date: 02/24/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: There’s no shame in getting a bit softer with age

Despite their youth, Shame are somehow already veterans within their scene, having formed as far back as 2014 and released their debut LP in early 2018, a solid year before most of the other big names associated with the current post-Brexit wave of British post-punk bands. Even if Shame don’t quite fit the same diverse and experimental mold of the other bigs in this scene such as Squid, Black Midi, or Black Country, New Road, and nor do they have quite as distinctive a style and approach as a band like Dry Cleaning, 2018’s Songs of Praise can now be fairly well identified as a ground zero for the movement that has earned so much hype in the last several years. A very solid set of accessible, indie rock-flavored post-punk tunes, their debut paved the way for 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink, an album which saw the band really come into their own by focusing on powerful, hard-hitting rhythms while also finding the space for more intense, drawn-out songwriting. A superb sophomore effort, all things considered, even if Shame had already become relatively overshadowed by some of the newer kids on the block.

In contrast to the intensity of Drunk Tank Pink, the band’s third album Food for Worms finds them retreating inward, not entirely dropping the post-punk and post-hardcore flavors of their first two efforts but showing an even greater level of melodicism and melancholy as well as an appreciation for turn of the millennium indie rock and emo. The instrumental palette has broadened, the arrangements colored in places by pianos and acoustic guitars, as well as playing with a wider range of guitar textures, and incorporating more prominent backing vocals (they even find time to cover the requisite square on seemingly every indie artist’s Bingo board these days by having a Phoebe Bridgers vocal feature, though her contribution is all but unidentifiable). All of these elements serve only to highlight the band’s strength as a band, allowing them to demonstrate a greater level of looseness and interplay than ever before. It is a particular delight to listen to how the band’s two guitar players play off each other, the times where they play complementing lines serving to add even more power to the moments where they come fully together. Josh Finerty’s bass work and Charlie Forbes’ drumming are also in strong form here, always providing solid grounding for these tracks and occasionally taking center stage themselves, such as on the awesomely groovy bass riff that rips through “Different Person.”

Even if Food for Worms is frequently notably softer than previous Shame material, it is far from a complete departure, with hard-hitting noise rockers such as “The Fall of Paul,” “Alibis,” and the aforementioned “Different Person” providing great variety to proceedings. The single “Six-Pack” is also a standout with its heavy psychedelic guitars. But many of the album’s standout moments are those one might not have expected following the band’s previous releases, such as the dejected, lamenting “Adderall” with its strikingly pained guitars, the desolate “Burning By Design,” and the closing “All the People.” The lattermost is a pleading anthem, a very obvious song in many ways but undeniably effective as it builds to its choruses which practically beg the listener to sing along. Although Food for Worms may not work as well for fans who fell for the band’s first two albums, and indeed it is not quite as consistently striking as Drunk Tank Pink, nonetheless it shows Shame maturing (hopefully not prematurely) into great songwriters who are willing to stretch themselves enough to keep things from stagnating.



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user ratings (75)
3.4
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
theBoneyKing
March 8th 2023


24675 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

A bit of a shorter one but I had to get some words out for this. These guys are underrated! Listen to 'em!!

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
March 8th 2023


32185 Comments


Solid album yeah, Papa Uni would be proud (or pissed, who knows). Nicely done Boney.

AsleepInTheBack
Staff Reviewer
March 8th 2023


10447 Comments


Pos

DoofDoof
March 8th 2023


15914 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Great review Boney!



I prefer the loose sound to this one, there’s so much slightly stiff sounding post punk out there already at the moment so I welcome the slight departure

someone
Contributing Reviewer
March 8th 2023


6962 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

though i did hope they'd go into even noisier direction than DTP, this album still justifies its stylistic choices well

Pheromone
March 8th 2023


21634 Comments


not a shame fan but great rev boney will check

StickFeit
March 8th 2023


2313 Comments


lovely record

DoofDoof
March 8th 2023


15914 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Phero - if you’re going to vibe with a Shame album it’ll be this one, some indie/emo/lo-fi influences this time



I even hear a little Pavement at times here, wouldn’t have said that with their first two

MillionDead
March 8th 2023


5589 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Kind of obsessed with that refrain from Fingers of Steel. One of the best parts they've written for sure.

Rowan5215
Emeritus
March 8th 2023


47992 Comments

Album Rating: 2.7 | Sound Off

this was p disappointing after Drunk Tank but nice writeup nonetheless. hope it's just a wobble and they kick some arse again next time round

theBoneyKing
March 8th 2023


24675 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thank thanks all.

Yeah I didn't mention "Fingers of Steel" but that's a solid highlight as well.

Soz this didn't do much for you RowBro

MillionDead
March 8th 2023


5589 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm just in love with those jangly guitar sounds. Might bump this. I can't quite remember Drunk Tank Pink that well, but I'm feeling like this is their best album so far. Thought Songs of Praise was a bit bland. Want to listen to everything to compare but idk how much time I wanna invest into them. I've always liked Shame well enough, but I also consider them one of the weaker acts in this newer UK post punk wave. IDLES, Black Midi, Black Country, The Murder Capital, and Fontaines D.C. have done way more compelling stuff on average. But I guess they're about equal with or better than stuff like Dry Cleaning.

theBoneyKing
March 8th 2023


24675 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Songs of Praise is good but can be a bit bland at times yeah. Between this and DTP though I'd probably consider Shame my favorite band of this wave, though BCNR has the best album by far in AFUT.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
March 8th 2023


6179 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Great review Boney (I expect nothing less)!



I didn't get much from the album, it's pleasant but not a lot of striking moments for me.

theBoneyKing
March 9th 2023


24675 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thanks muchly Sunny

StreetlightRock
March 9th 2023


4017 Comments


oh fk yeah

theBoneyKing
March 9th 2023


24675 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

fk yeah indeed

thx for the feature!!

Nikkolae
March 10th 2023


6762 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

fucking love this, been spining it nonstop since it came out

theBoneyKing
March 11th 2023


24675 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah I love this more with every listen. Amazing album.

MillionDead
March 11th 2023


5589 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Boney, have you ever heard Women's song Shaking Hand? I feel like if you dig this, that song ought to do great things for you.



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