Shark? have announced the follow up to 2013’s Savior in the form of a new EP titled ‘Becky And Debbie’. To celebrate, the band has premiered Hate Crime Girl over at Brooklyn Vegan. According to singer/guitarist Kevin Diamond, the verses are all loosely based on the work of artist Chris Burden (who both David Bowie and Laurie Anderson have written songs about), while the chorus is about Jared Hiller (their new guitar player who replaced Chris Mulligan) meeting a girl outside of his apartment as they both witnessed a man beating someone up with a baseball bat. “We referred to her as “hate crime girl” as they met while witnessing a horrible crime. I liked the idea of love blooming while witnessing ultimate hate, and thought it was a concept that Chris Burden would get a kick out of, so put the two ideas together. Jared and the girl never fell in love though.”
The band is also working on some tour dates for the spring and plan to tour throughout 2015.
Becky and Debbie are guinea pigs. Let’s get that out of the way first.
In 2013, Shark? released their second album ‘Savior,’ which included the GTA V song California Grrls. It was the end result of a long and sometimes arduous recording and mixing process that also ended with the amicable splitting of long-time Shark? guitarist Chris Mulligan just prior to it’s release. Longtime Brooklyn musician/IT guy Jared Hiller stepped in to fill Muggs’ shoes for the ensuing ‘Savior’ tour, and was quickly adopted as Shark?’s new permanent lead guitarist.
The difference in guitar style between Muggs, an avant-noodler of the highest order, and Hiller, a pedal builder and feedback enthusiast, has lead to a change in sound for Shark?, bringing out a harsher edge then previously presented by the band. This sonic shift has also reflected a more direct songwriting style.
‘Becky and Debbie’ leads off with Hate Crime Girl, which continues the tradition of one song on every Shark? record having “Girl” in the title. Taking some inspiration from the recent Chris Burden retrospective at the New Museum, as well as a chance encounter between a member of Shark? and a girl at the site of a horrific crime, this song delves into duality of love and hate existing within every relationship. Ensuing songs like Hangnail, a tune depicting the life of a woefully ignorant misogynist and the women he leaves behind, continues the ironic dissection of the Party Band anthem that began with the tongue-in-cheek California Grrls.
On Side B of the record, Wanna B Nuthin’, expands on a classic Shark? theme of existential angst, telling the story of a covert FBI agent grimly accepting the dissolution of his own identity, culminating in the existential rallying cry Do you wanna be nothing with me?. The album finishes with a disjointed, disassembled cover of the classic Status Quo song Pictures of Matchstick Men, which was covered by Camper Van Beethoven in the 90s.
At the end of the day, these song are angrier, more jagged, and perhaps express a more singular point of view than previous Shark? records. Shark? will be touring throughout 2015, and are already working on songs for the next record.
Track listing:
01. Hate Crime Girl
02. Hangnail
03. Cool Enuff
04. (Swerdlow Didn’t Fix The) Couch
05. Wanna B Nuthin’
06. Matchstick Men
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