Can we take this outside?!
Why Choose is the London-based trio’s second full-length of snappy, dance-y post-punk songs. 2013’s Consumer Complaints was re-released in the United States just a few months ago, so this is the second dose of Shopping this year. While both albums attack political agendas and consumerism, apparently it’s accidental. Rachel Aggs (also on guitar) has the perfect voice for fronting the band: concise, direct and with a tinge of a punk rock London accent.
In any case, the subject matter is always interesting. “Straight Lines” is led by drummer Andrew Milk on vocals who paints a portrait of a wealthy man wrapped up in a same-sex romance with someone not as wealthy: “You go home empty handed when you go home with his type / My life my love my money / I gave him what was mine.” And Aggs can be heard on the album addressing same-sex romances as well.
Opener “Wind Up” does just that and declares that everyone does the same: “I see you staring straight over me / I see you staring so vacantly / I hear you talking so quietly / I hear you talking unnecessarily/ WIND UP!” And single “Why Wait” was a perfect song to release first to accurately embody the rest of Why Choose: “Why choose when I just want it both ways?/ When I could just take it all?/ I wanna do it my way.”
The same guitar tone is used throughout the album, mostly following along with Aggs, which can account for repetitiveness and monotony. But it’s always delivering that upbeat tempo sure to get the people moving. Why Choose provides a nice mix of empowering songs and songs that reflect on time lost or wasted that you can’t get back.
Leave a Comment