Drunk Tank Pink Album Review

by Jaylyn Preslicka, Editor in Cheif

Shame//Press

British post-punk revival Shame released their second full length album “Drunk Tank Pink” after months of anticipation. The band has created a strong following since the release of their first album "Songs of Praise" in 2018, but have been in the music industry since 2016. As with everything else the band has released, the album has not been disappointing in the slightest.

Shame continues to keep their own sound, one that cannot be defined outside of the upcoming young bands in the UK. Taking influence from post-punk bands like XTC and Gang of Four, these bands combine raw punk and often nonsensical lyrics distinguishing themselves from anything done before.

“If I was to summarize the lyrics on ‘Drunk Tank Pink,’ I would say that to simplify it is – learning to enjoy your own company,” lead singer Eddie Green said.

IThe first track on the album, “Alphabet”, was released as their first single on Sept 9. 2020. In the four month waiting period leading to the official release of the full album, they released three additional songs, “Snow Day”, “Nigel Hitter”, and “Water in the Well”.

Each track is fast paced, with no room for ballads or any songs to cry to. Although written pre-COVID, it touches on a lot of themes of isolation and distress. The album was written collaboratively among all members, but most lyrics were written by Charlie Steen talking about the band’s life and issues. Despite the nature of the lyrics (the ones that are cohesive enough to understand), it is easily danceable.

“This one was a bit more like a diary instead of taking inspiration from other lyricists but I guess one song that had big influence with its lyrics was I trawl the megahertz by prefrab sprout. Am a sucker for a story,” Shame said during a Reddit AMA.

Despite this, the album isn’t completely original, but it doesn’t discount the work whatsoever. It works well for their style of music. However, it may be the last hard-hitting album from the band for a while.

“Drunk Tank Pink, without losing an ounce of the authenticity and spontaneity of its predecessor, is an album that we will not get tired of so soon as it is textured and captivating” Twitter user @LDMusicale said.

It was not the band's intention to have to wait such an extensive amount of time before the full release. Recording began in early 2020 before COVID-19 fully impacted the rest of the world. To keep up interaction among fans and general promotion, they band recorded podcasts talking about anything from their daily lives, the album, or interviews with other bands in their scene such as Fontains D.C. and The Chats.

It’s important to listen to smaller bands during these times, as their only income comes from record sales and streams. “Drunk Tank Pink” is available on all music platforms as well as physical copies on their website, shame.word.