Old Indie Kid: The Shop Window A 4 Letter Word

Album Review

A 4 Letter Word

The Shop Window

reviewed by Old Indie Kid

Release date: 25th November 2022 on Vinyl & CD with a digital release in December.

Pre-order a physical copy today before they sell out!

theshopwindow.bandcamp.com/

spinoutproductions.com/shop/

Maidstone’s greatest indie jangle pop band, The Shop Window have returned with a second album of delicious aural treats. But before I dive into that, let's reflect on their journey so far. During the Britpop years Carl & Syd were members of 90's band Westpier - label mates of Sleeper. The friends reunited in 2018 when Carl returned to Kent after years of living overseas and they added Phil and Martin to complete The Shop Window line-up. Their first release was on Bandcamp at Christmas 2019, and they followed up during the lockdowns with a string of singles, a 7" vinyl, and award-winning videos before dropping their debut album in June 2021 - The State Of Being Human.

Mere months after the debut album, they started playing gigs and releasing singles from the follow up, which will soon be in your hands, your ears and your life. They have released a second 7" on indie label Spinout Nuggets, a wonderful acoustic EP (raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Support), a second Christmas single, and a Forgotten single in collaboration with new music legends Sean Buckley, Jen Dixon & Chris James Willows.

The second album has been in the can for months, but they delayed the release date until confirmation that the vinyl pressing plants could keep up with the demand for this highly anticipated second album. No need to fear - Spinout Nuggets and the band are pleased to announce they are taking pre-orders and licking stamps, so your stockings needn't be empty this Christmas!

But how does this second set rate as a collection of songs? Does it hang together well, does it have overarching themes, maybe even a character ark? That’s what I will now attempt to answer, with a track-by-track review. I will also be trying to decipher the cryptic crossword clue set in the album's title - A 4 Letter Word. Crucially, what is that word, and more importantly, is it a rude one?

The Shoppies 2022

Eyes Wide Shut, a recent 7" single, opens the album with a gorgeous slice of upbeat jangle cake with a catchy chorus and harmonies. My favourite part is the second half when the vocals end (no offence intended), but this is when the music rises, and you can enjoy the tightness of the band. Some great "Wah-Wah" effects, and the final moments remind me of something just out of reach - perhaps the strings heard on Jollification by The Lightning Seeds? Solid start to album #2.

With Love To Lead, the second track, is full of imagined chivalrous actions as Kings, Princes and Knights fight each other to win the hand of ye Maiden fair. Noble quests are undertaken, and honourable stands are made. I think the 4-Letter Word must be one highly favoured by The Beatles, and it's the unifying theme of the album.

The Lay Of The Land was the first single released way back in November 2021. Musically, The Shoppies are drifting into the otherworldliness of 60's psychedelia (Pictures of Matchstick Men) and borrowing images from Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland. The opening line “Time will take its toll down the rabbit hole” also links to one of the major themes from the debut album - that of aging. The song also confirms that LOVE is "the meaning of life". The song's reference to Magpies links to the imagery for the single and album covers - each has a silhouette of an animal with a heart.

Dancing Light is a wonderful composition, echoing the jangling goodness of a Smiths record. Dancing Light is sweetness and light and has a stirring chorus full of emotion. Great harmonics on the repeated refrain "Let me feel the love , sweeps me up in waves, falling from above, moves in many ways". It’s a tender song that lets the listeners in behind The Shop Window.

It’s By Design deals with the idea of whether fate or chance determines who we form relationships with. "Stars aligned to make this history, so they say". The musical interplay between the band is excellent and very engaging to the listener, especially in what I will term the middle eight / bridge / bit in the middle with no singing. (I dropped out of recorder lessons aged 5 and my musical terminology has only marginally improved). Trust me it's very catchy and this would be a stand-out track for most albums - but a 4 Letter Word has such a high-quality threshold that it's an album of highlights.

Circles Go Round is the opening song on Side B (get it on vinyl if you want your circle to go around). Circles Go Round sounds like former single Out Of Reach's riff and beats were put in a blender on high speed. It’s another jaunty Smiths-esque tune that seems to oscillate between speeds. It’s bound to have crowds of middle-aged fans putting their backs out trying to dance to this at live gigs. The song was written about Carl and Syd, getting the band back together and creating new music as old friends. "Jump start the heart again, sit back and ride the wave... Years roll by, let this define us".

Lighthouse is a truly fantastic song. A tale of anxiety being overcome by LOVE, hope, and other ace things. A lovely LOVE song written by Carl to his wife. "When you radiate light it's a window to the heart of you. Lighthouse of hope sending a beacon to my call". It'll melt your heart and leave you singing, "ba ba-ba ba-ba ba" as it fades away.

That Feeling is, in my humble opinion, the closest The Shop Window have come to the early sounds of The Stone Roses, and that's not a comparison I make lightly. This is perfect lush indie pop and wrapped up in less than 3 minutes. The chorus proclaims, "When I get that That Feeling I'm alive". (However, the correct answer is "I need sexual healing").

Maid Of Stone is catchy, yet mysterious. To me it speaks of childhood and a mother's LOVE "It's in this place where we began, where we walked before we ran" and "Inspiration - TV Screens, in shop windows, chasing dreams, Sheltered by a Maid of Stone". I absolutely adore this song from my Maidstone brothers.

Low sounds magnificent and it is well placed as the final track on the album. The frustration of the Covid lockdowns is captured by the lyrics "A year disappeared, frozen in time, never get it back, Mother Nature's crime". A world-weary song where Carl sings of "running on fumes" and a determination to keep your head above water and try not to fall into despair. The music is heavily influenced by the slower majestic Blur songs - and it wears it well. It builds to a good place and ends the album with LOVE as the savior.