Shame -- Drunk Tank Pink: Review

Shame -- Drunk Tank Pink [Dead Oceans]

Post-punk freshmen ‘shame’ return with Drunk Tank Pink, the long-awaited follow-up to their 2018 debut Songs of Praise which initially grabbed so much of the attention of the indie scene. That record snagged the attention of music fans for its interesting combination of grungy nineties rock, with 70s dad rock and ‘Wire-y’ jagged songwriting.

However, while the first album did some interesting things, it failed to execute on delivering an enjoyable album. Many of the album’s riffs and motifs just fell flat due to indistinctive songwriting and a particularly muddy mix. So while the band showed a promising proclivity for experimentation, they showed their lack of experience in the final mixes.

But, leading up to the release of the second album, the album’s promotional singles showed promise. “Alphabet”, released in September last year showed the band’s greatly improved tenacity for melody writing and the mix of the song was levels of quality better than anything on Song Of Praise. The other leading single and music video “Water In The Well” was an intensely groovy cut that showed influences from post-punk all over the map and explosive, cohesive performances from the whole band.

The overall improved sheen of the songs is greatly thanks to the production of James Ford, who gained his experience from his extensive work producing the discographies of Florence + the Machine and the Arctic Monkeys. And Ford’s work on the Drunk Tank Pink greatly elevates the band’s sound, allowing its cleanest and dirtiest sounds to meld together beautifully.

While the production is several pegs above where it was on the debut, there are still a few incongruencies in their writing that drags down the uniqueness of some of the songs. Notably “Harsh Degrees” in the last chunk of the record feels a little too much like the preceding cut and smooth transition between the tracks seems less seamless and more so unintentionally forgettable. “Nigel Hitter” plays with some of the lightest dance punk rhythms of the album but gets tedious in its runtime which could’ve been cut down just a bit.

So while the homogenous sound of the record partly weighs it down, it mostly serves the record, especially in its more dynamic and elaborate tracks. “Born In Luton” is a shifting rocker that cleverly moves between pummeling, tortured verses and a comparably lamenting chorus. The band’s seamless dance between complex time signature shifts is exciting and the layered guitar work transcends the band’s sound. Definitely resonates like some early Modest Mouse.

“Human, for a Minute” shows a never-before-seen side of the band where the band’s tenderness comes out in spades. It’s intimate saunter breaks into a Strokes-like guitar passage in the outro. “Station Wagon” is the record’s resident slow-burner that festers like a beast over its six-and-a-half minute runtime. The dramatic pianos, shuddering guitars, and cataclysmic drums lead singer Charlie Steen’s prose lyrics into an explosive and satisfying ending to the record.

The lyrics of Drunk Tank Pink relate in themes of dissatisfaction with smalltown stagnation, conformity, and with oneself (I sure hope the boys of Shame are ok, I’m here if you need to talk ;]. Songs like “Great Dog” and “March Day” shake the bars of one’s own cell, screaming for freedom from the expectations of people around you. The latter is a favorite mine and plays with funky Gang Of Four-esque guitar motifs.

Sometimes, the eccentric lyricism is completely past my comprehension like on the aforementioned “Water In The Well”, inarguably the band’s most polished hit to date. The jangly guitar riffs, bro-ey background chants, textured percussion, and non-linear drums fills make for a fantastic earworm of track. It's here more than anywhere else on the record that Steen’s colorful deliveries shine in full force, bringing a whole extra layer of color to the tracks.

But hands-down, my favorite track here is the multi-faceted epic “Snow Day” which sees the band travel through various song fragments that all tie into this narrative of someone on the edge of suicide. The various stages see the narrator contemplating different sects of emotions from discomfort and anger to fantasy and bliss. Each section of the track mirrors the lyrics with modulating time signatures, confrontational guitar tones, and epic drum fills finally breaking into a beautiful outro with the narrator on the brink of death. The songwriting, performances, and poetry on this song are shame at their absolute best yet and lands as my favorite song of 2021 so far.

So Drunk Tank Pink still shows some weaknesses in songwriting that were there on the debut but overall displayed significant improvements there and everywhere else. Every part from the mix to the band’s chemistry to the colorful songwriting and biting lyrics are significantly better than on Songs of Praise. Aside from development, the band also shows themselves to be developing, exciting post-punk with this record, creating a wide variety of explosive highs and howling lows.

Drunk Tank Pink is a promising follow sophomore record from new age punks Shame who show a greater tenacity for production, songwriting, and performances on this record.

Listen To: “Water In The Well”, “Snow Day”

7.4/10.