| Drunk Tank Pink | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 January 2021 | |||
| Recorded | January–February 2020 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk art-punk | |||
| Length | 41:35 | |||
| Label | Dead Oceans | |||
| Producer | James Ford | |||
| Shame chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Drunk Tank Pink | ||||
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Drunk Tank Pink is the second studio album by the British post-punk band shame, released on 15 January 2021 through Dead Oceans.
Following the conclusion of their Songs of Praise Tour, shame swiftly commenced development of new material for their sophomore studio album.
The foundation of the album largely came together during a group trip to Scotland with electronic artist Makeness in April 2019, with songs like "Alphabet", "Snow Day", and "Great Dog" taking shape during that time. [1] Most of the lyrical writing process took place at The Room Studios in Hither Green, London. [2]
In late January 2020, NME reported that recording sessions for the album were complete and that on the album. [3]
On 10 September 2020, shame released the single "Alphabet", marking their first new material in two-and-a-half years. [4] The same day, the band released a corresponding music video for "Alphabet", which features oversized heads in a tinsel pub. [5] The music video was directed by Tegen Williams [6] [7] and produced by Kitty Wordsworth. [8]
Two months later, on 18 November 2020, shame released their second single, "Water in the Well," coinciding with the announcement of their next album Drunk Tank Pink, set for release on 15 January 15 2021. [9] The music video for the single was directed by Pedro Takahashi. [10]
Drunk Tank Pink was released during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The band 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.
The front cover of Drunk Tank Pink features a black-and-white image of Shame drummer Charlie Forbes's father, [11] photographed by Tegen Williams. [12] 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. [13]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10 [14] |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Clash | 8/10 [17] |
| Consequence of Sound | B+ [18] |
| DIY | [19] |
| The Guardian | [20] |
| Mojo | [21] |
| NME | [22] |
| Paste | 7.8/10 [23] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [24] |
| Uncut | [15] |
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". [15]
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. [16] 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." [17]
All tracks are written by Shame [25]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Woodblock" | 2:41 |
| 13. | "Alphabet" (Demo) | 3:06 |
| 14. | "Water in the Well" (Demo) | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 51:01 | |
Shame
Additional contributors
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [27] | 23 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [28] | 107 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [29] | 97 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) [30] | 50 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [31] | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [32] | 8 |
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.
"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.
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.
