Shame - Food For Worms - Transparent Purple [Clear Vinyl] (Purp)

If Songs of Praise was fuelled by pint-sloshing teenage vitriol,then Drunk Tank Pink delved into a different kind of intensity.Wading into uncharted musical waters, emboldened by theirwit and earned cynicism, they created something with theabandon of a band who had nothing to lose. Having forcedtheir way through their second album's identity crisis, theyarrive, finally, at a place of hard-won maturity. Enter: Foodfor Worms, which Steen declares to be "the Lamborghini ofshame records."It marks a sonic departure from anything they've donebefore, abandoning their post-punk beginnings for moreeclectic influences, drawing from the tense atmospherics ofMerchandise, the sharp yet uncomplicated lyrics of Lou Reedand the more melodic works of 90s German band, Blumfeld.For the first time, the band are not delving inwards, butseeking to capture the world around them. "I don't think youcan be in your own head forever," says Steen. A conversationafter one of their gigs with a friend prompted a stray thoughtthat he held onto: "It's weird, isn't it? Popular music is alwaysabout love, heartbreak, or yourself. There isn't much aboutyour mates." In many ways, the album is an ode to friendship,and a documentation of the dynamic that only five peoplewho have grown up together - and grown so close, against allodds - can share.