The new album out today from Shutups is a dizzying barrage of punk-pop melodies with a mouthful of a title: I can't eat nearly as much as I want to vomit
These days, it seems everyone has something to be mad about, something that makes them want to vomit. The bay area indie punk band Shutups is no exception, finding a laundry list of gripes with our modern existence and channeling those frustrations into a cathartic and exhilarating new album called I can't eat nearly as much as I want to vomit The sound of Shutups combines the thrashing indie punk energy of bands like PUP, the fuzzed-out riffs and strong focus on melodic songwriting of blue album era Weezer, and a go-for-broke ambition that recalls the recent Foxing LP Nearer My God. I can't eat nearly as much as I want to vomit was mixed and mastered by Grammy nominated engineer / producer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Jeff Rosenstock, King Woman),who worked with the band on their two previous EPs for Kill Rock Stars, Six and Seven.
Each single has also been accompanied by an appropriately off-the-wall music video, a signature of the band’s career thus far that they have doubled down on in the rollout of this new LP. Besides the “Endless Heaven” video, which was also co-directed by Braith Miller and Jeremiah Durian-Williams, band member Eric Stafford serves as the main creative force behind the visuals for this LP, including the delirious VR assisted video for "Televised Hit & Run" and the neon noir video for "100Punk"
Beginning as a duo of Hadley Davis on vocals and guitar and Mia Wood on drums, Hadley recruited childhood friends Eric Stafford (Guitar/Synth) and Brandon "Bud" Armienti (bass / synth) from his hometown of Livermore, CA to round out the full band roster. Following their excellent debut LP, Every Day I’m Less Zen, this sophomore album both expands on that winning formula of their debut and explodes it, recombining their the basic elements of their style into more ambitious follow up that constantly throws new ideas, hooks, and left-turn pivots at the listener.
“There’s also a good amount of inspiration pulled from mash-ups, as a compositional tool.” Hadley says. “I was and still am obsessed with Girl Talk’s Night Ripper. I worshiped that album in highschool as it satisfied my need for non-stop hooks and changes. It also taught me the value of juxtaposition in texture. When I write now I’m thinking about cut and paste techniques more so than typical song structure. This album feels like a mashup of our songs.”
When asked about the meaning behind the album’s intentionally wordy title, Mia says that “I can't eat nearly as much as I want to vomit ” refers to the moment, “When utter revulsion exceeds the basic survival need of sustenance. Go to the furthest limit of disgust and then take one step over the line, and this is what you get.” Having already decided on the album title when they initially began working on it before the pandemic, over the incredibly strange last few years its meaning has warped and changed, particularly for Hadley. “It started out in reference to a general disgust in the world, but over time (compounded by the lockdown) the scope of disgust turned inward” he says, “It’s largely a collection of songs haunted by self-doubt and insecurities but also growth, fulfillment, and ultimately finding love for yourself. It’s all coated in a thick film of cynicism though, the embarrassment that comes with that personal growth, figuring out what does and doesn't work, living with cringe. It’s the moment of sobering disgust you experience when you see yourself in a different light.”
I can't eat nearly as much as I want to vomit is out today via Kill Rock Stars and is available for purchase here.
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