British post-punk frontrunners Shame have released an eerie, dark and yet somehow festive tune entitled “Baldur’s Gate”, seemingly named after the popular video game franchise. The tune is available on all streaming services. Listen to it down below.
Shame singer Charlie Steen said in a statement, according to NME: “It’s another Christmas classic…It’s about a period of time in which I’d regularly be trekking up to the streets of Edinburgh to see an ex-partner… These are some of the thoughts I’d have when I’d be leaving Waverley station, en route back to London in the winter nights.”
Deviating slightly from the sound that the band presented on their recent, critically acclaimed full-length album Drunk Tank Pink, the song makes heavy use of acoustic guitars, a melancholic, lo-fi synthesiser and restrained vocals. As described by Steen, the lyrics of the song centre around thoughts surrounding a romantic relationship, though none are presented in the same tender, syrupy way that other festive tunes might approach the subject, with lyrics such as: “If I could rip off all your skin, and parcel it inside a tin, I’d write your name in biro, on the ribbons like decorations”.
The song is not the only Christmas track that Shame have put out, as back in 2018, the group released a rendition of the José Feliciano’s classic “Feliz Navidad”, maintaining the jovial energy of the original but undeniably injecting some of their own raucous style into it, and also making surprising use of an autotune effect on the lead vocal.
As previously mentioned, Shame’s recent full-length album Drunk Tank Pink has made its way to a lot of top albums lists this year with its grit and aggression. In a glowing Allmusic review, writer Heather Phares wrote: “Shame sound unstoppable on “Drunk Tank Pink”, yet they also find new ways to channel that energy.” You can read the full review here. The album can be found on all streaming services, and physical media can be found here.
In other news regarding Shame, the band will be embarking on a North American tour in February 2022, with dates in British Columbia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and New York City. Come April, the band will be embarking on a European tour, with visits to France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Norway, to name just a few countries. Shame presently have two UK shows lined up for 2022, at London Stadium and the Truck Festival in Steventon, UK. Tickets for Shame’s upcoming shows can be found here.
