Cutthroat (album)

Last updated

Cutthroat
Shame - Cutthroat.jpg
Studio album by
Released5 September 2025 (2025-09-05)
StudioSalvation Studios, Brighton, UK
Genre Post-punk
Length39:56
Label Dead Oceans
Producer John Congleton
Shame chronology
Food for Worms
(2023)
Cutthroat
(2025)
Singles from Cutthroat
  1. "Cutthroat"
    Released: 3 June 2025
  2. "Quiet Life"
    Released: 8 July 2025
  3. "Spartak"
    Released: 14 August 2025

Cutthroat is the fourth studio album by English post-punk band Shame. It was released on 5 September 2025, via Dead Oceans in LP, CD and digital formats. [1]

Contents

Background

Preceded by the band's 2023 release, Food for Worms , Cutthroat was produced by John Congleton and recorded at Salvation Studios in Brighton. [1] [2] [3] It consists of twelve songs ranging between two and four minutes each, with a total runtime of approximately 40 minutes, and centres on ideas including conflict and corruption. [4]

The title track, noted as "a brash, guitar-forward, psych punk jam", [5] was released as the lead single on 3 June 2025, with a music video directed by Ja Humby. [2] [6] [7] The second single of the album, "Quiet Life", was released on 8 July 2025. [8] [4] [9] "Spartak" followed as the third single on 14 August 2025, alongside a music video directed by Charlie Steen. [10] [11] [12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Dork Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
Hot Press 8/10 [13]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Paste 8.2/10 [16]

Dan Harrison of Dork noted that the album "sounds like it was built with that same pressure in mind", stating "What makes Cutthroat stand up is all about the evolution of the band that made it," and giving it a rating of five out of five. [1] Writing for Hot Press , Edwin McFee rated the album eight out of ten and described it as "a record that bristles with bravery, both musically and lyrically." [13]

MusicOMH 's Donovan Livesey assigned the project a rating of four-and-a-half stars, noting that "the album moves away from the sound Shame had been known for" and described it as "a thrill from start to finish, bold, brash, and full of life." [14] Tatiana Tenreyro of Paste gave the album a score of 8.2 and commented that it "may lack the emotional vulnerability of Food for Worms, but none of its songs are devoid of thrills," referring to it as "bold and brash." [16]

Cutthroat received a four-star rating from British music website NME , whose reviewer, David James Young, remarked "Cutthroat is at its most intriguing when it showcases the band's depth and multi-faceted nature," calling it a "testament to Shame's unwavering ability to adapt and evolve." [15]

Writing for Beats Per Minute , John Amen was more ambivalent. He gave the album a rating of 68%, commenting, "Cutthroat offers some exhilarating moments, including the title track, but is also a problematic release." He concluded, "While the sequence brims with [shame's] signature I-may-be-fatigued-but-don’t-fuck-with-me attitude, the songs often fail to land, scattering like spores in a gale". [17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by shame
"Cutthroat" written with Seth Evans; "Plaster", "Packshot" written with Max Goulding.

Cutthroat track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Cutthroat"3:14
2."Cowards Around"2:21
3."Quiet Life"3:16
4."Nothing Better"2:47
5."Plaster"2:55
6."Spartak"2:38
7."To and Fro"2:26
8."Lampião"3:29
9."After Party"3:09
10."Screwdriver"2:51
11."Packshot"4:19
12."Axis of Evil"3:31
Total length:39:56

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [18]

Shame

Additional contributors

Charts

Chart performance for Cutthroat
Chart (2025)Peak
position
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) [19] 22
Scottish Albums (OCC) [20] 19
UK Albums (OCC) [21] 86
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [22] 8

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Harrison, Dan (3 September 2025). "Shame – Cutthroat". Dork . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 Torres, Eric (3 June 2025). "Shame Announce New Album, Share Video for New Song "Cutthroat"". Pitchfork . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  3. Vito, Jo (3 June 2025). "shame announce new album Cutthroat, release title track". Consequence . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 Newton, Felicity (8 July 2025). "Shame have released new single 'Quiet Life' ahead of their September album and world tour". Dork . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  5. Sollazzo, Cassidy (3 June 2025). "shame Announce New Album Cutthroat". Paste . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  6. Dunworth, Liberty (3 June 2025). "Shame announce new album Cutthroat with fiery title track and UK and European tour". NME . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  7. Taylor, Sam (3 June 2025). "Shame have announced their new album Cutthroat with a motorcycle wall of death video for the title-track – Dork". Dork . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  8. Kelly, Tyler (8 July 2025). "Shame further preview forthcoming album with new single, "Quiet Life"". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  9. Chelosky, Danielle (8 July 2025). "Shame Share New Song "Quiet Life"". Stereogum . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  10. "Shame preview Cutthroat with 'Spartak'". DIY . 15 August 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  11. Kelly, Tyler (14 August 2025). "Shame present new track, "Spartak"". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  12. Jones, Abby (13 August 2025). "Shame – "Spartak"". Stereogum . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  13. 1 2 McFee, Edwin (5 September 2025). "Album Review: Shame, Cutthroat". Hot Press . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  14. 1 2 Livesey, Donovan (2 September 2025). "Shame – Cutthroat". MusicOMH . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  15. 1 2 Young, David (4 September 2025). "Shame – Cutthroat review: a testament to their ability to adapt and evolve". NME . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  16. 1 2 Tenreyro, Tatiana (5 September 2025). "Shame, Cutthroat Album Review". Paste . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  17. Amen, John (9 September 2025). "Album Review: shame – Cutthroat". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  18. "Cutthroat / shame / Credits". Tidal . Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  19. "Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums de la semaine 37, 2025" [Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums of Week 37, 2025] (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique . Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  20. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  22. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2025.