When London punks Shopping shared the first taster of their third album ‘The Official Body’ back in September – slinking tune ‘The Hype’ – singer Rachel Aggs said the song was “a wake up call”. She implored the trio’s fans to “always question what’s presented to you, and don’t just sit around and think about making change before it’s too late,” then added, “It’s also a party song!” That’s a lot of bang for your buck.
The album as a whole hammers home these sentiments, offering up a rebellious mindset beneath lashings of punk-funk. ‘The Hype’ itself boasts early LCD Soundsystem levels of groove, alongside blunt, world-weary statements (“They teach us procrastination / They teach us indecision”). ‘Control Yourself’, unsurprisingly, is as sardonic as the name suggests and ‘Suddenly Gone’ has the fingerprints of the Occupy movement all over it: “Turn up the heat and break a sweat / We’ll take your money and that’s a threat / When will you recognise a single consequence”. This is a record to dance to, but it’s also a record to help you question the world around you.
Shopping’s sound is minimal, and almost every song kicks off with a Spaghetti Western guitar riff before being met by a steady beat and chanting vocals by various members. The end product is a 21st century twist on the DIY punk of Le Tigre and Gang Of Four, and proves to be their most engaging record since 2013 debut ‘Consumer Complaints’. Shopping will be fuelling the revolution one cowbell donk at a time.
