Surrender to a punk-paced stampede of “All Grown Up”, on which Shelf Lives are nostalgic – but not defeated.
A rocking bomb of dance-punk and new rave, All Grown Up hurtles down the open highway, leaving trails of scorched bitumen in its wake. Anchored by the feverish pulse of its steam-train rhythm, swarms of synths and guitars buzz from every angle of Shelf Lives’ latest single, arriving only six weeks after their last.
In the single’s opening moments, the voice of Jonny Hillyard – producer and guitarist – curtly declares that “everything is fucked” – first of a songful of anxiety. As is their wont, however, the single proves immensely danceable, exemplifying the London-based duo’s superhuman ear for such composition.
The relentless drive of All Grown Up is equally attributable to Hillyard’s production as to Sabrina Di Giulio’s performance. The beat is infectious; a lively mechanism of trilling kicks and muffled breaths – but when the beat does briefly depart, Di Giulio remains afoot with such breathlessness as to seem part of the percussion herself.
Sabrina Di Giulio commands attention the moment she steps into verse one, arriving with a brooding guitar as if upon a chariot.“hurry up, slow, ‘cause you’re getting old!” she calls – but not to us. All Grown Up concerns the shelf lives of Shelf Lives, as the duo laments the repeated stifling of adult freedom, caught in a whirlwind of obligation.
As the pair’s busiest production, and among their loudest, Hillyard was wise to spread the arrangement of All Grown Up with such democracy, utilising all the nooks of stereo audio to ensure that its rough tones didn’t collapse into one another.
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The mix is balanced and the selection congruous; the tones of synthesiser – low hums and erratic alarm bells – closely resemble guitars, as does the heavier distortion of Di Giulio’s vocals, accentuating her riot grrrl vocal cadence.
The two halves of Shelf Lives, Jonny Hillyard and Sabrina Di Giulio, prove a solid artistic whole. Their budding discography is impressive in how thoroughly it manages to establish their image and sound. Even as they dabble in certain styles, the Shelf lives on in their approach taken, straddling accessibility and individuality with masterful ease.
Even with such a gift for groove as Shelf Lives have, All Grown Up seems a step forward for this up-and-coming punk duo, whose next move is anyone’s guess.
Review by Harrison Jones.
