Shopping - The Official Body (2018)

Following on the success of their two previous albums for FatCat, which were praised on both sides of the pond as "breakneck, open-eared, positivist post-punk canter" (NME) and "direct, smart, catchy, and extremely punk" (Pitchfork) - the band returns to shake some asses with an agenda yet again. The album was produced by Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice) at his studio in Helmsdale, Scotland, who brought his taut post-punk ear to the Shopping’s acclaimed evolution of brittle '70s polti-punk. If the band's approach was prescient in the past, our current political landscape renders them ever more indicative of the restlessness of youth's current dilemma. The band manages to walk the razor thin line between inspiring euphoric dance and shouldering societal anxiety. They face down gender politics and environmental peril ("Suddenly Gone"), breakdown social media as both a vital emotional mask and conduit of spirit ("Wild Child"). The Official Body stays true to the minimal dance-punk ethos of Shopping’s previous releases, fans of which will undoubtedly find this logical unfolding of their musical approach thoroughly satisfying.