The UK post-punk band shame are back, and have announced their fourth studio album, Cutthroat. Listen to the lead single and opening track, “Cutthroat,” below.
Due on September 5th via Dead Oceans, Cutthroat is the follow up to shame’s 2023 album Food for Worms, and spans 12 new songs produced by John Congleton. Speaking about the album in a statement, frontman Charlie Steen, said, “It’s about the cowards, the cunts, the hypocrites. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of them around right now.”
The band expanded on that attitude in a longer joint statement, hinting at a restless drive beneath the record’s surface. “It’s driven by hunger,” they said. “Hunger for something better. For something you’ve been told you don’t deserve. It’s primal. It’s raw. It’s unapologetic. It’s the person who turns up to the party uninvited. ‘Cause when you’ve been pushed down, there’s nowhere to go but up. When you ain’t got nothing, you ain’t got nothing to lose.”
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To that end, Steen likened the album to the band’s live performances. “This is about who we are,” he said. “Our live shows aren’t performance art — they’re direct, confrontational and raw. That’s always been the root of us. We live in crazy times. But it’s not about ‘Poor me.’ It’s about ‘Fuck you.’”
The lead single, “Cutthroat,” is built around a driving arrangement with a psychedelic tint, and introduces the album’s conflation of arrogance and insecurity. In a statement, Steen said, “I was reading a lot of Oscar Wilde plays where everything was about paradox. In ‘Cutthroat,’ it’s that whole idea from Lady Windermere’s Fan, ‘Life’s far too important to be taken seriously.’”
“Cutthroat” arrives with a music video directed by Ja Humby. Watch it below.
Along with the announcement of Cutthroat, shame also unveiled a run of UK and European tour dates, beginning in September and wrapping in November. According to a press release, “US dates will soon follow, so stay tuned.” See the full list of their upcoming tour dates below, and grab tickets here.
Cutthroat Artwork:
Cutthroat Tracklist:
01. Cutthroat
02. Cowards Around
03. Quiet Life
04. Nothing Better
05. Plaster
06. Spartak
07. To and Fro
08. Lampião
09. After Party
10. Screwdriver
11. Packshot
12. Axis of Evil
shame 2025 Tour Dates:
09/28 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale
09/29 – Antwerp, BE @ TRIX
09/30 – Cologne, DE @ Gebäude 9
10/02 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
10/03 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
10/04 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust
10/06 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumphuset
10/07 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret AS
10/08 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
10/10 – Helsinki, FI @ Korjaamo
10/11 – Tallinn, EE @ Paavli Kultuurivabrik
10/12 – Riga, LV @ Palladium
10/14 – Vilnius, LT @ Kultūra
10/15 – Warsaw, PL @ NIEBO
10/16 – Berlin, DE @ SO36
10/18 – Prague, CZ @ MeetFactory
10/19 – Bratislava Nova, SK @ Cvernovka
10/20 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea
10/22 – Zagreb, HR @ Club Mochvara
10/23 – Belgrade, RS @ Zappa Baza
10/24 – Sofia, BG @ Mixtape 5
10/26 – Istanbul, TR @ Blind
10/28 – Bucharest, RO @ Control
10/29 – Cluj, RO @ Atelier
10/30 – Budapest, HU @ A38
10/31 – Munich, DE @ Strom
11/02 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza
11/03 – Milan, IT @ Magazzini Generali
11/05 – Lyon, FR @ L’Epicerie Moderne
11/06 – Reims, FR @ La Cartonnerie
11/07 – Lille, FR @ L’Aeronef
11/09 – Southampton, UK @ 1865
11/10 – Leeds, UK @ Project House
11/12 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
11/13 – Cork, IE @ Cypress Avenue
11/15 – Manchester, UK @ New Century
11/16 – Glasgow, UK @ The Garage
11/17 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
11/19 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk
11/20 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
