DRUNK TANK PINK

There are moments on Drunk Tank Pink where you almosthave to reach for the sleeve to check this is the same bandwho made 2018 s Songs Of Praise. Such is the jump Shamehave made from the riotous post-punk of their debut to thesprawling adventurism and twitching anxieties laid out here.The South Londoner s blood and guts spirit that wink andgrin of devious charm is still present it s just that it s growninto something bigger something deeper more ambitious andunflinchingly honest. The genius of Drunk Tank Pink is how these lyrical themesdovetail with the music. Opener Alphabet dissects the premiseof performance over a siren call of nervous jerking guitars it schorus thrown out like a beer bottle across a mosh pit.Songs spin off and lurch into unexpected directions throughouthere be it March Day s escalating aural panic attack or theshapeshifting darkness of Snow Day. There s a Berlin era Bowiebeauty to the lovelorn Human For A Minute while closer StationWagon weaves from a downbeat mooch into a souring soullifting climax in which Steen elevates himself beyond the cloudsand into the heavens. Or at least that s what it sounds like. From the womb to the clouds (sort of) Shame are currentlyvery much in the pink.