shame (Photo by Sam Gregg)
shame release a new single/video, “Nigel Hitter,” from their forthcoming album, Drunk Tank Pink, out next Friday, Jan. 15 on Dead Oceans.
The new song follows previously released songs “Snow Day,” “Water in the Well,” and “Alphabet.” Grinding into gear via a heavy, driving bassline, “Nigel Hitter” opens up to a mesh of guitars which motor the song through its stirring hooks and explosive vocal delivery. There’s a similar, gripping unpredictability running throughout Drunk Tank Pink; a bold and ambitious new record which marks a sonic leap forward for the band. The video for “Nigel Hitter,” directed by Maxim Kelly, repurposes archival footage from old research centres on the development of children. Using deepfake technology, the babies start to lip sync along with the song, while the band cameo as chin-stroking scientists.
“Nigel Hitter” started life as the band readjusted to a new normal back home, having spent much of their adult life on tour, something with frontman Charlie Steen spills out lyrically (“I’m burning at both ends naturally…”) throughout Drunk Tank Pink. On “Nigel Hitter,” Charlie said: “The song is at the heart of what Drunk Tank Pink is about. After we finished touring I was left with a lot of silence as I stumbled around trying to figure out the daily routine. On top of that, I was confronting my subconscious at night through a series of intense dreams which left me in a daze during the day. ‘Nigel Hitter’ feels like a cathartic expression of that period.”
Watch the official music video for “Nigel Hitter” by shame on YouTube:
Drunk Tank Pink marks a determined leap forward for shame. The tracks began life as the band readjusted to a new normal back home having spent much of their adult life on tour, with themes spanning disintegrating relationships, the loss of the sense of self and identity crises. The result is an enormous expansion of shame’s sonic arsenal.