shame - Cutthroat - Hot Shots Orange Color Vinyl Record

Cutthroat showcases shame at their blistering best! This unapologetic new album, produced by the Grammy-winning John Congleton, is souped up and supercharged—exactly where you want shame to be. Still in their twenties, the five childhood friends—Charlie Steen, guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green, bassist Josh Finerty, and drummer Charlie Forbes—have exponentially grown Shame, bringing ambitious sonic ideas and the technical skills to make them a reality. Having proven themselves time and again with legendary live shows and three critically acclaimed albums, Shame entered the creation of Cutthroat with the intention of establishing a new Ground Zero. “This is about who we are,” Steen shares. “Our live shows aren’t performance art; they’re direct, confrontational, and raw. That’s always been the root of who we are. We live in crazy times. But it’s not about ‘Poor me.’ It’s about ‘F*ck you.’” This fiery new perspective was significantly influenced by producer John Congleton (known for his work with St. Vincent and Angel Olsen). From their very first meeting, Congleton’s straightforward approach helped refine the band’s ideas. With Shame’s signature sense of humor sprinkled throughout, the album tackles today’s pressing issues with a playful twist. It offers a keen observation on themes of conflict and corruption, hunger and desire, lust, envy, and the ever-present shadow of cowardice. Musically, this record also experiments with vibrant new concepts. During their tour, Coyle-Smith began creating electronic music for fun, initially viewing the loops he was crafting as separate from his work with Shame. However, he soon realized that they could blend together. “This time, anything could go as long as it sounded good and felt right,” he says. The outcome is an album that delights in the quirky aspects of life, raising an eyebrow and bringing forth the tough questions that are often conveniently overlooked. “I’m not here to answer the questions; I’m just a 27-year-old idiot…” Steen admits with a humorous chuckle. Yet, one thing is clear: Cutthroat narrates with a confident flair that, at this moment, Shame has never sounded better!