SINGLE REVIEW: BITE by Shelf Lives
Sink your teeth into this - grit-glitch London-based duo Shelf Lives have just dropped their ferocious fresh slice BITE along with a surrealist horror-inspired music video. The band unleash their primal side with the new single, which arrives amidst their current tour with Panic Shack (with our serpent pals SNAYX playing on some dates, what a fucking crossover!).
When Canadian vocalist Sabrina Di Giulio joined forces with Northampton guitarist/producer Jonny Hillyard, the chaotic clusterfuck of Shelf Lives was born. They released their debut mini-album Yes, Offence last year, followed by recent single Skirts & Salads via their own Not Sorry Mom Records, and there's no doubt that their glitchy hyper-punk has a grip on us.
Fuelled by a "fun-first" ethos and a relentless electro-punk edge, the pair have shaken up the rock scene and scored themselves UK and European tour slots with punk icons Skunk Anansie, and shows with Thumper, Dream Nails, and Lazy Queen, as well as playing three sets at Glastonbury 2022 - so pay attention, because our crystal ball never lies and it's telling us that Shelf Lives are about to fucking storm the world.
Stirring together trilling drumbeats, droning vocals, and glistening splatters of gritpop gloss, BITE explodes into a pent-up flood of reeling guitar screeches and intensifying shouts. This is Shelf Lives at their most sinister yet, so obviously we're obsessed.
Commenting on the new single, Shelf Lives say, "It's about the battle between your awake spiritual brain that is trying its best to be a better person and to let go of its pride, and catching yourself going back to that angry monkey brain. That’s why it’s called BITE, because it’s the most primitive thing we can do when we feel scared."
BITE was made for those tight, rowdy basement venues - and we would know, as we were overjoyed when we got to see Shelf Lives on their headline Independent Venue Week tour. The pair stopped off at Winchester's Railway Inn for a night of feral no-fucks-given fun, along with dark-pop baddie WREN. The new single is accompanied by a disturbingly twisted music video, which captures the frenzied rage of the track.
"The idea of having a modern day man losing his mind in the woods to temptation seemed the most fitting, as temptation is what brings us closer to that monkey part of our brain, and our modern mind is what pulls us away," the band explains.
With our first serving of Shelf Lives on our plate, we've had a taste and we're ready for more from them in 2023! Treat yourselves, and go witness their chaos IRL at a live show this year.
Shelf Lives tour dates:
FEB 18 - Crofters Rights, Bristol
FEB 23 - Hull Central Library, Hull (supporting Panic Shack)
FEB 24 - Attic Bar - The Garage, Glasgow (supporting Panic Shack)
FEB 25 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (supporting Panic Shack)
FEB 26 - Bodega, Nottingham (supporting Panic Shack)
APR 29 - Liverpool Sound City
MAY 4 - FOCUS Wales Festival
MAY 6 - Are You Listening? Festival
MAY 11 - The Great Escape Festival
MAY 19 - London Calling (Amsterdam)
Stream BITE on Spotify and Apple Music
