Drunk Tank Pink

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For the color, see Baker-Miller pink.

Drunk Tank Pink
Studio album by
Shame
Released15 January 2021
RecordedJanuary–February 2020
GenrePost-punk art-punk
Length41:35
LabelDead Oceans
ProducerJames Ford
Shame chronology
Songs of Praise
(2018) 		Drunk Tank Pink
(2021) 		Food for Worms
(2023)
Singles from Drunk Tank Pink
  1. "Alphabet"
    Released: 10 September 2020
  2. "Water in the Well"
    Released: 18 November 2020
  3. "Snow Day"
    Released: 3 December 2020
  4. "Nigel Hitter"
    Released: 6 January 2021
  5. "Born in Luton"
    Released: 20 June 2021

Drunk Tank Pink is the second studio album by the British post-punk band Shame, released on 15 January 2021 through Dead Oceans.

Background[edit]

Following the conclusion of their Songs of Praise Tour, Shame began recording new material for their second studio album. In late January 2020, NME reported that Shame was working on their second studio album and that recording had been complete.[1]

Release[edit]

On 10 September 2020, Shame released the single "Alphabet", marking their first new material in two-and-a-half years.[2] The same day, the band released a corresponding music video for "Alphabet", which features oversized heads in a tinsel pub.[3] The music video was directed by Tegen Williams[4][5] and produced by Kitty Wordsworth.[6]

Two months later, on 18 November 2020, Shame released their second single, "Water in the Well", which correlated with the announcement of Drunk Tank Pink for a 15 January 2021 release date.[7] The music video for the single was directed by Pedro Takahashi.[8]

Drunk Tank Pink was released on 15 January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Shame anticipated going on a headlining tour in February 2021 called the Socially Distant Tour, which was played at venues that allowed for social distancing. The tour began on 2 February 2021 in Leeds and ended on 27 February in Brighton.

Artwork[edit]

The front cover of Drunk Tank Pink features a black-and-white image of Shame drummer Charlie Forbes's father,[9] photographed by Tegen Williams.[10] Frontman Charlie Steen explained how the album title and the text colour on the cover came to be: he painted his room pink and called it "the womb", and the colour he used is also known as "drunk tank pink", which is known to reduce aggressive behaviour and lower heart rates.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[12]
Metacritic82/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Clash8/10[15]
Consequence of SoundB+[16]
DIY[17]
The Guardian[18]
Mojo[13]
NME
Paste7.8/10[19]
Pitchfork7.6/10[20]
Uncut[13]

Drunk Tank Pink was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82 based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

In a review for AllMusic, Heather Phares wrote: "Though it's named for the color used to subdue violently inebriated prisoners, there's little soothing about the band's second album; in fact, by comparison, their debut sounds almost staid. Shame sound unstoppable on Drunk Tank Pink, yet they also find new ways to channel that energy.[14] At Clash, Erin Bashford said: "Drunk Tank Pink is a surreal landscape of desperation, frustration, and consideration, and a confident second record from the South Londoners. Each track feels like its own ecosystem, tackling its own demons and fighting with its own musical journey. It's certainly an album created with plenty of thought and various concepts tackled within its 40-odd minutes."[15]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Shame[21]

No.TitleLength
1."Alphabet"2:52
2."Nigel Hitter"3:24
3."Born in Luton"4:49
4."March Day"3:12
5."Water in the Well"3:07
6."Snow Day"5:20
7."Human, For a Minute"4:34
8."Great Dog"2:00
9."6/1"2:39
10."Harsh Degrees"3:09
11."Station Wagon"6:35
Total length:41:35
Japanese edition bonus tracks[22]
No.TitleLength
12."Woodblock"2:41
13."Alphabet" (Demo)3:06
14."Water in the Well" (Demo)3:28
Total length:51:01

Personnel[edit]

Shame

  • Charlie Steen – lead vocals (all tracks), claps (tracks 2, 7), guitars (track 8), additional piano (track 11), recorder (track 11)
  • Eddie Green – guitars (all tracks), backing vocals (tracks 2, 7), claps (tracks 2, 7)
  • Josh Finerty – bass, backing vocals (all tracks); guitars (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9), synthesizer (tracks 2, 3, 8), claps (tracks 2, 7), percussion (tracks 3, 5, 7-9), drums (track 4), keyboards (track 7), piano (tracks 9, 11), table (track 9)
  • Sean Coyle-Smith – guitars (all tracks), backing vocals (tracks 1-5, 7-11), synthesizer (tracks 2, 3, 9, 10), claps (tracks 2, 7), percussion (tracks 5, 10)
  • Charlie Forbes – drums (all tracks), percussion (track 2), claps (tracks 2, 7)

Additional performers

  • James Ford – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4-11), synthesizer (tracks 2-4, 8-10), claps (tracks 2, 7), keyboards (track 7)
  • Anthony Cazade – claps (track 2)

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Drunk Tank Pink
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 107
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 97
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[26] 50
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 8

References[edit]

  1. ^ Reilly, Nick (27 January 2020). "Shame confirm they have finished work on their second album". NME. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  2. ^ Krol, Charlotte (10 September 2020). "Shame return with first song in two years, 'Alphabet'". NME. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  3. ^ Bloom, Madison (10 September 2020). "Shame Share Video for New Song "Alphabet": Watch". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Music Videos - Tegen Williams". TegenWilliams.com. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ^ Leas, Ryan (10 September 2020). "Shame Shares "Alphabet": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 21 November 2020. It comes with a video directed by Tegen Williams and delving into that unnerving dream world imagery that first inspired Steen when writing the song.
  6. ^ Zucchelli, Antonio Paolo (10 September 2020). "Dopo due anni tornano gli Shame: guarda il video del nouvo singolo: "Alphabet"". Indie for Bunnies (in Italian). Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  7. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (18 November 2020). "Shame share new single 'Water in the Well' from upcoming new album, 'Drunk Tank Pink'". NME. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Shame 'Water In The Well' by Pedro Takahashi". promonews.tv. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ^ Handley, Gen (14 January 2021). "Heartbreak and Identity Crisis: Shame Push Themselves on 'Drunk Tank Pink'". Spin. Retrieved 4 April 2021. "We definitely tried to push ourselves and create something different with this album," says drummer Charlie Forbes, whose father is featured on the album cover.
  10. ^ "shame on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  11. ^ Byrne, David. "Colors / Pink | David Byrne". cabinetmagazine.org. Retrieved 4 April 2021. It was noted that by merely staring at an 18 x 24 inch card printed with this color [...], there would result "a marked effect on lowering the heart rate, pulse and respiration [...]." Merely fifteen minutes of exposure was enough to ensure that the potential for violent or aggressive behavior had been reduced.
  12. ^ "Drunk Tank Pink by Shame reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "Drunk Tank Pink by Shame Review and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  14. ^ a b Drunk Tank Pink at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  15. ^ a b Bashford, Erin (11 January 2021). "Shame - Drunk Tank Pink". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  16. ^ Hughes, Kayleigh (15 January 2021). "Shame Dial up the Rebellion on the Sneering Drunk Tank Pink: Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  17. ^ Cabre, Alex (14 January 2021). "Shame - Drunk Tank Pink". DIY. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  18. ^ Petridis, Alexis (14 January 2021). "Shame: Drunk Tank Pink review – indie punks confront the post-gig era". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  19. ^ Manno, Lizzie (13 January 2021). "Shame's Drunk Tank Pink Is Agitated and Sharp". Paste. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  20. ^ Bloom, Madison (15 January 2021). "Shame: Drink Tank Pink Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  21. ^ Minsker, Evan (18 November 2020). "shame Announce New Album Drunk Tank Pink, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Shame | Big Nothing / DRUNK TANK PINK". ビッグ・ナッシング / ドランク・タンク・ピンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Shame – Drunk Tank Pink" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Shame – Drunk Tank Pink" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Shame – Drunk Tank Pink" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Shame – Drunk Tank Pink". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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