After the crackling energy of south London post-punk five-piece Shame’s 2018 debut, Songs of Praise, their follow-up, 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink, felt a little ponderous. While it still packed plenty of punch, it lacked its predecessor’s equally important ability to float like a butterfly. Food for Worms, produced by Flood (U2, PJ Harvey, Nick Cave), is a small step back in the right direction, but at times they still sound somewhat leaden.
This is most apparent on their more introspective material. The looser sound of the gentle Orchid complements its contemplative lyrics (“Every time I hold your hand/ I feel something different”), though the song really doesn’t benefit from its needlessly bombastic outro. From its title in, closer All the People has one eye on being an arena singalong, but instead plods disappointingly. Much better are the Fontaines DC-like The Fall of Paul, which merges quiet and loud to far better effect, and the concussive Alibis, even if it can feel like an attempt to bludgeon the listener into submission. A band that needs to rediscover its spark.
