The band recorded the album with producer Edwyn Collins at his Clashnarrow studios, and will be out on January 19 via FatCat Records.
The album’s title (established before any of the songs were written), The Official Body, is a play on the idea of official bodies of power and control, “the mystical powers that be” as bassist Billy Easter deems them, as well as the construct of a physical body that fits within the societal paradigm of what is “acceptable.”
Collins helped the band develop their sound, diverting the setup away from the standard drums, bass, guitar stance that’s been the band’s staple. The album is the first to incorporate synths to Shopping’s frenetic dance, ushering in an updated line of post-punk progressiveness. “We introduced a Novation Bass station and drum pads which has amped up the party vibe on this new album,” says Aggs, “and possibly introduced some surprising elements including a song with no guitar at all – “Wild Child.”
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.
Pre-order the album here, check out the tracklist and watch the video their previously unveiled single "The Hype" (directed by Billy Easter and Jack Barraclough) below.
Tracklist:
01. The Hype
02. Wild Child
03. Asking For A Friend
04. Suddenly Gone
05. Shave Your Head
06. Discoverer
07. Control Yourself
08. My Dad's A Dancer
09. New Values
10. Overtime
(facebook.com/weareshopping)
Tags: Shopping
