Andrew’s Judgmental Album Reviews: Shame – Food for Worms (2023)

Shame is a band I stumbled on around when I decided I would start doing the album reviews. Drunk Tank Pink (2021) was an interesting Post-Punk/Hard Rock album that kept the band’s name relevant in my searches the last few years. So when I saw they were coming out with a new album, it made all of the sense to give it a spin. It’s kind of nice being somewhat current with a band instead of my usual ‘it’s been a decade or two since I cared about this band’; don’t you think?

Either way, we’ve got a South London band with opinions and plays within the Punk realm often. So I’d say its a pretty good combination of things, all things considered. So lets see if the last few years affected their sound any.

Shame is: Charlie Steen (Lead Vocals), Eddie Green (Guitar), Charlie Forbes (Drums), Josh Finerty (Bass), Sean Coyle-Smith (Guitar)

• Artist: Shame
• Album: Food for Worms (2023)
• Label: Dead Oceans
• Total Track Time: 43:01

Fingers of Steel is definitely not how I expected the album to start. A more mid tempo song that gives me vibes closer to Oasis than anything Punk or Post-Punk. Its an interesting little song about wasting your life and living in the past. Seems to obviously focus on finding the issues and moving forward instead of dwelling on the problems. Simple enough premise, decent song, just not what I was expecting out of the gates. Six-Pack opens with some big wah pedal effects and has a weird combination of Punk elements and The Doors. Lyrically the song seems to be dancing in delusion discussing a room where everything bad in your life is flipped; but the last verse is a big reality check. So its just a very cool song, and this is more what I was anticipating. Yankees is lyrically very much about an abusive relationship where the singer is discussing taking punishment but they’re content in the position and not gonna make waves. The lighter arrangement and very 90s alt rock approach to the song helps to get across a gritty darkness while still masquerading as a radio rock song.

Alibis seems to be making a larger commentary on abuse. There’s a line discussing ‘boys in bloom’, so a part of me thinks this could be a song about sexual assault and not needing an alibi because of grooming or gaslighting makes a lot of sense given the lyrics. Its interesting, I may be thinking too deep about it; but if that’s the case, its an interesting approach. Adderall has a somber yet angry tone to its slower tempo. The lyrics seem to explore what people tell you to get you on Adderall or how they try to be supportive, and the weird sluggish feeling checks out for how some people have told me it feels. A weird hyper focus yet sluggish vibe. So playing in the imagery of the lyrics and the actually feeling is interesting. Orchid feels like a very Chris Isaak or The Cure kind of vibe, but it also feels a little lacking. The Fall of Paul, okay full honesty, I have no clue what this song is about. It does have a quicker tempo and is pretty solid in those Post-Punk roots, but beyond being cool musically, I don’t have a damn clue what the lyrics are selling.

Burning By Design lives in this weird middle ground lyrically where I can’t tell if its about a consistent romantic relationship or a complacent one. “You don’t care about the feeling anymore, When it hits it’s always raw, But you know it could be better, I don’t care about the songs that use these chords, I am sure there’s plenty more, But I know they’re not the same”, while I know a fair amount of British idioms and turns of phrase, I feel like the last two songs not being lyrically clear is the European opposed to American perspective on things. I don’t mind the song, the lyrics just play in this odd little middle ground where I can’t quite lock down the entire vibe. Different Person has a funky little bassline and finally lyrics that are clear to me. Someone trying to change aspects of themselves, but they are still the same to the singer. The song also has a little bit of a David Bowie vibe, so I’m digging it. All the People is slow, stripped down a bit, even utilizing a tambourine. So its got a very 60s Rock vibe to it while striking me almost as a song about a therapy. “All the people that you’re gonna meet, Don’t you throw it all away, Because you can’t love yourself” – simple enough sentiment, a bit of that The Beatles vibe, even using a gang vocal harmony on the chorus. It ends the album much differently than I expected, but not objectively bad.

This album was much more somber than Drunk Tank Pink, and it took me a little bit to warm up to that honestly. I prefer the Post-Punk or more Hard Rock songs. Personally it feels like there’s too many slower tempo songs and it comes off a TOUCH too preachy with all of slow songs. Its wonderful to have messages in songs, but making the general vibe a bit of a bummer very rarely locks me into an album. Also opening and closing on more of that slower depressing pop style isn’t something I would say is smart. One or the other, but don’t bookend weird depression.

That said, most of the songs are pretty good I just have a lot of issues with the song choices and album structure. In a vacuum each song is generally enjoyable, but as an album its a bummer that just ends pretty disappointingly.

Final Judgment: 5.75/10