Shame, 'Cutthroat' Album Review

Shame Shake Things Up On Their Boldest, Brashest Record Yet

shame never set out to be rock stars. They made this clear while speaking to The Guardian in 2018, following the release of their debut album, Songs of Praise, by poking fun at the leather jacket-clad, womanizing, drug-addled musicians that came before them. Instead, they introduced themselves as anti-establishment post-punks, inspired by bands like The Fall and growing up counting the Fat White Family as punk mentors.

When they emerged with Songs of Praise, shame received global attention for their raucous live shows and no-fucks-given attitude. But over the past few years, the London-based band has undergone a period of transformation. Their 2023 album, Food for Worms, showcased a gentler side, with frontman Charlie Steen facing inward, writing about his longtime friendship with his bandmates and how their bond had evolved from the transition from childhood friends who met in school to carving out a career together as adults. The focus was pulled away from their brash sound, instead spotlighting Steen’s writing chops with slower songs. While this new take on shame garnered critical acclaim, with many calling it their best record yet, the band missed the boisterous sound from their beginnings. When they embarked on their tour with Viagra Boys, they found themselves revisiting their older, faster, heavier material to match the rowdy Swedes. It left them with the desire to make a record that would up the ante for their stage antics. The result is shame’s most thrilling work yet, an album that takes the essence from Songs of Praise and turns it into a more mature, fully developed version, proving how much the band has evolved in the seven years since their debut.

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Made with legendary producer John Congleton, who has produced some of the best indie albums of the past decade for the likes of Angel Olsen, Alvvays, and St Vincent, Cutthroat takes on a larger-than-life approach, one that rewrites what it means to be a rock star and shows you don’t need to fit the traditional mold in order to make authentic, arena-ready bangers. The opening title track immediately hooks you with its thumping, in-your-face beat that feels like your heartbeat after taking a Jägerbomb. Here, Steen takes on the persona of his worst nightmare: a wanker who only cares about partying and collecting women like objects. But even while putting on a character, hints of sincerity seep through as Steen sings, “And why not / Do what you want to do?” That’s the basis of the LP: shame not allowing themselves to be boxed into what’s expected of them as a British post-punk band, instead toying with genres like country, electroclash, and even some modern Britpop.

With an adrenaline-filled track like “Cutthroat,” it’s tough to follow it with something that matches its momentum. But shame pulls off the gamble of starting off their album with one of the most dynamic songs yet by following it with “Cowards Around,” a hypnotic track that builds tension through frenetic percussion, as Steen again takes on a character who is xenophobic and proudly uneducated (“Cowards are people who live in places that I’ve never been”; “Cowards are people who got a degree), while also calling out the true cowards (“Cowards are Members of Parliament”; “Cowards are politicians, criminals”).

Throughout the album, Steen explores the paradoxes of conflicting characters—those with vastly different views of the world from his own, as well as those who share his disdain for bad actors—and combines their thoughts in the lyrics. He took inspiration from the work of Oscar Wilde, who, through a satirical lens, exposed society’s double standards and multifaceted aspects of humanity. Even while calling out those “cowards,” Steen admits himself to be one in “Quiet Life,” a country-tinged track that takes inspiration from gothabilly bands like The Cramps. “I’m a coward ’cause I know / That I can’t say no / To a life ’round here / That I don’t even know,” Steen sings, as he reflects on a toxic relationship that he feels stuck in, while trying to find the strength to seek out that “quiet life” away from that partner before losing himself further. Coming after Steen has poked fun at the wankers he hates, it’s a rare, vulnerable moment on Cutthroat that shines in its simplicity, with an ultra-catchy chorus.

Once you’ve settled into the more pared-down sound of “Quiet Life,” shame pulls you back into party-ready mode with “Nothing Better.” It’s a ferocious punk track where Steen bemoans those who would rather waste their lives doing the bare minimum instead of working hard for their success. It’s followed by “Plaster,” a Britpop-style track that displays Steen’s vocal chops when he decides to sing straightforwardly between his signature sing-talk. “Spartak” is nowhere near as ripping as the front-loaded half of the record, but making the halfway point of Cutthroat, the alt-country-tinged track stands out with its infectious melody, as Steen calls out those who’ve looked down on him, pointing out the sheer hypocrisy (“Well, you tut your lips at vagrants’ tricks / But you know you do the same as them”). The sonic intensity continues in “To and Fro,” an effervescent punk track that portrays the overarching theme of contradictions with tongue-in-cheek lyrics: “I don’t want much / Just gimme everything you’ve got.”

shame set out to create an all-rippers, no fillers record and, for the most part, they succeeded. The section between “Nothing Better” and “To and Fro” isn’t quite as strong as the opening and closing tracks, as it becomes muddled when multiple songs share a similar tempo, with some exhibiting restraint in their arrangements and lyrical message more effectively than others. But even then, you can’t say that any track on Cutthroat is a bore.

The highlights come through when shame aren’t afraid to toy with sonic elements we haven’t seen from them before. “Lampião” shows an entirely new side to shame, one that reminds you why this record is the perfect way to demonstrate how much they’ve evolved since forming in 2014 . Steen ended up writing about Lampião after he learned about the life of the titular bandit while visiting his girlfriend’s family in Brazil. The track interpolates the classic marchinha de carnaval “Acorda Maria Bonita,” about the warning given to Lampião’s wife when he was about to be caught and killed by police troops. Steen shows reverence for his partner’s culture while still adding his own British post-punk spin on it, combining carnaval with shimmery post-punk guitar as he tells the story of the “big, bad motherfucker.” We hear so much on Cutthroat about what Steen doesn’t like, that it’s refreshing when he shows his love for his partner by expressing interest in her country’s history. It’s a romantic gesture that may not be immediately apparent to listeners, but doesn’t go unnoticed within its context.

Another standout of the second half of the record is “After Party,” an electroclash-tinged sprechgesang track, written by guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith, that feels like entering an alternate reality where The Dare could’ve made something brilliant post-“Girls.” It’s sleazy and alluring, with references to “oiled-up rubber gloves” and leather whips. What stands out the most about “After Party” is how it initially teases you into thinking it’ll be an electro-punk track, only to evolve into a polished, pop-driven chorus. Instead of feeling like a mashup of two different songs, the shift is seamless.

The party keeps going with the rousing “Screwdriver,” the most blistering track besides “Nothing Better.” But rather than opting for a straightforward punk sound, the band incorporates new wave influences that add depth to its sound. It’s not all full throttle, though. The second-to-last track, “Packshot,” is grungy and downtempo, a jarring contrast to “Screwdriver.” It’s a respite from the rest of the high-energy record, showing a more sinister side to shame as Steen wails, “All the world is mine.” shame stays in this darker energy in closing track “Axis of Evil,” that takes those ’80s inspired elements present in “Screwdriver” and drives them further, going for a modernized take on dark wave. Cutthroat may lack the emotional vulnerability of Food for Worms, but none of its songs are devoid of thrills. It’s bold and brash, making a great argument for shame to follow their contemporaries, like Fontaines D.C. and IDLES, and reach the global level of stardom they’ve been close to achieving for the past decade.

Read: “Shame Are All Gas, No Brakes”

Tatiana Tenreyro is Paste‘s associate music editor, based in New York City. You can also find her writing at SPIN, NME, PAPER Magazine, The A.V. Club, and other outlets.

Shame Shake Things Up On Their Boldest, Brashest Record Yet

Cutthroat may lack the emotional vulnerability of its predecessor, but none of its songs are devoid of thrills. The album is bold and brash, making a great argument for shame to reach the global level of stardom they've been flirting with for the past decade.