London post-punkers Shopping slid into the last few days of 2019 by releasing one of my favorites singles of the year, “Initiative.” That track brought back their crisp, “cold water skipping across a hot pan” fun sound and also indicated something more…something that was somehow extra cripsy.
That turned out to be their newest album, All or Nothing. The band (Rachel Aggs – guitar and vocals, Billy Easter – bass and vocals, and Andrew Milk – drums and vocals) had split apart geographically (Aggs and Milk in Glasgow, Easter in Los Angeles) but got together in Seattle to record “Initiative” and then the rest of the album came together in a ten-day period recording in London and Glasgow. The title of the album refers to not only their “go for it / we’re not screwing around” approach to the rapid recording process, but also the pop production of the record, bringing in more synths, changing up guitar styles, and sharing lead vocals through several tracks.
The album has plenty of political jabs, queer power cuts, and plenty of encouragement to live your life in truth and have a good time doing it. The opener, “Trust in Us,” is both a middle finger to the 1% and a rallying cry to the 99% to trust and rely on each other instead of embracing the myth that billionaires know what’s best for us. The song has a bit of a Yeah Yeah Yeahs vibe to it, which isn’t surprising since Shopping has admitted that YYY’s, LCD Soundsystem, Bronksi Beat, and Talking Heads were all major influences on the record.
“Initiative” follows with its snappy beats and fun lyrics about dealing with the daily work grind. The song would’ve been featured on the Office Space soundtrack had it been released in 1999. The bass heavy “Follow Me” (and Easter’s killer bass is all over this album) is up next. “Follow me, I’ll make it worth it,” Aggs sings. “CCTV is living for me,” Milk replies. London, it should be noted, has more CCTV cameras than most major cities on Earth, so I can’t help but wonder if the song is about doing goofy stuff just in public just to make those watching the cameras have plenty of “WTF?” moments at their desks.
Milk takes lead vocals on “No Apologies,” a killer cut abut realizing that a relationship is going down a dark, possibly dangerous path and that waiting for an apology is wasted, useless time. “For Your Pleasure” is probably filling dance floors in clubs all over London and Glasgow and L.A. by now with its bright synths and Milk’s wild beats that are seem to trip over each other and yet never get out of time.
His beats are like a kitchen timer on “About You,” and Aggs’ guitar seems to be playing in another room as she sings about problems in her relationship with her lover that she doesn’t want to admit are probably her fault, at least in part. The LCD Soundsystem influence is clear on “Lies” with its synth bass and hand percussion as Aggs and Easter sing a plea about trying to convince their respective lovers of simple truths.
“Expert Advice” brings back Aggs’ funky guitar work and Milk’s lead vocals. Milk and Aggs sing about being frustrated with someone close to them, but I can’t help thinking the song is also aimed at political figures (“You keep selling me the same old story…”) trying to convince everyone in Britain that Brexit will be great for everyone involved. The slightly down-tuned guitar on “Body Clock” is a pleasant surprise, and the title and final track is a tale of a relationship in which one half (Aggs, in this case) is doing the majority of the work and simply wants more from her lover or to call it quits.
All or Nothing is a solid record from beginning to end, with Shopping exploring new song structures and instrumentation, but keeping their sharp lyrics and only getting better as musicians.
Keep your mind open.
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