Cutthroat by Shame

Shame Cutthroat

79
ChoruScore
7 reviews
Sep 5, 2025
Release Date
Dead Oceans
Label

Shame's Cutthroat arrives as a bracing, stage-ready statement that balances blunt social critique with sharper songwriting and a hunger for wider reach. Critics agree the record earned praise for its raw energy and character-driven lyrics, and the critical consensus (79.29/100 across 7 professional reviews) frames Cutthroat as both a return to form and a bold experiment in accessibility. Standout tracks repeatedly named by reviewers include “Cutthroat”, “Cowards Around”, “Quiet Life”, “Lampião” and “Screwdriver” - the songs that most convincingly fuse catharsis with hook-driven momentum.

Across reviews, commentators highlight themes of brutal honesty, social malaise and toxic relationships filtered through post-punk revival energy and genre blending. Many critics praise the title track “Cutthroat” for its disco-leaning pulse and nervy earworm chorus, while “Cowards Around” and “Screwdriver” capture live-show fury and merciless lyrical targets. Quieter moments like “Quiet Life” and the Portuguese-tinged “Lampião” are cited as necessary respites that deepen the album's emotional range and reveal the band's evolving songwriting.

Notwithstanding high points, several reviewers warn the production can feel glossier than the band’s grit demands, producing occasional thinness beneath exhilarating peaks. That tension - between commercial polish and raw live energy - is central to the record's character: some critics call it triumphant reinvention, others see compromises in pursuit of broader appeal. Ultimately, the critical consensus suggests Cutthroat is worth attention for its standout tracks and renewed verve, promising both immediate bangers and moments of uneasy introspection as Shame push their sound forward.

Critics' Top Tracks

The standout songs that made critics take notice

1

Quiet Life

5 mentions

"the disarming, Americana-flecked ‘Quiet Life’ stands as one of their best tracks to date"
DIY Magazine
2

Lampião

5 mentions

"“Lampião” acts as a breather from the truthful onslaught of this tracklist"
Glide Magazine
3

Cutthroat

7 mentions

"The answer is held within Cutthroat, shame’s fourth studio LP."
Glide Magazine
the disarming, Americana-flecked ‘Quiet Life’ stands as one of their best tracks to date
D
DIY Magazine
about "Quiet Life"
Read full review
5 mentions
84% sentiment

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Cutthroat

7 mentions
100
03:14
2

Cowards Around

6 mentions
65
02:21
3

Quiet Life

5 mentions
100
03:16
4

Nothing Better

4 mentions
15
02:47
5

Plaster

4 mentions
15
02:55
6

Spartak

4 mentions
38
02:38
7

To and Fro

4 mentions
55
02:26
8

Lampião

5 mentions
100
03:29
9

After Party

5 mentions
46
03:09
10

Screwdriver

5 mentions
95
02:51
11

Packshot

5 mentions
52
04:19
12

Axis of Evil

5 mentions
68
03:31

What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 8 critics who reviewed this album

Critic's Take

Shame push their sound in search of wider reach on Cutthroat, but the record often tilts toward calculated accessibility rather than cohesive growth. The title track and “Cowards Around” aim for punchy hooks, yet feel like concessions to polish rather than breakthroughs. Brighter moments like “Spartak” and “Nothing Better” reveal the band’s knack for resonant sentiment and propulsive rock, suggesting the best tracks on Cutthroat sit where emotion and grit still collide. Overall, the album shows hints of evolution but struggles to reconcile experiment and commerce.

Key Points

  • “Spartak” is the best song because it marries sentimentality with the band’s strength and feels like a genuine emotional lane.
  • The album’s core strength is glimpses of evolved songwriting and powerful guitar crescendos, but it often leans toward commercial polish at the expense of cohesion.

Themes

accessibility vs experimentation commercial appeal social malaise evolution of songwriting

Critic's Take

The London five-piece remain thrillingly uncompromising on Cutthroat, and the best songs here - notably “Cowards Around” and “Plaster” - hit like a concentrated burst of honesty and noise. Ryan Dillon’s tone is celebratory and exacting, praising how tracks balance blunt lyrics with blistering tempos, so the best tracks on Cutthroat stand out because they both sting and stick. There are quieter instincts too - “Lampião” offers a breather and surprises with Portuguese vocals - but the album’s highs are where shame’s reinvention truly lands. In short, if you want the best songs on Cutthroat, start with “Cowards Around” and “Plaster”, and then let the record’s cathartic momentum do the rest.

Key Points

  • The best song(s) like "Cowards Around" are best because they combine blunt, socially sharp lyrics with blistering tempos.
  • The album’s core strengths are cathartic honesty, inventive arrangements, and a successful sonic reinvention.

Themes

post-punk revival brutal honesty catharsis experimentation sonic reinvention

Critic's Take

In a tone that bristles with glee and appraisal, Shame’s Cutthroat is presented as their most thrilling work yet, led by the adrenaline of “Cutthroat” and the hypnotic tension of “Cowards Around”. Tatiana’s voice favors punchy, image-rich lines - she praises arena-ready hooks and sly character work - and highlights quieter victories like the vulnerability of “Quiet Life”. The review reads like a live-set report, valuing raucous highs and occasional darker respites, making clear why listeners ask which are the best tracks on Cutthroat and which songs stand out.

Key Points

  • The best song is the title track "Cutthroat" because its immediate, thumping beat and persona work encapsulate the album’s adrenaline.
  • The album’s core strengths are bold genre-blending, energetic hooks, and confident stage-ready songwriting that balances raucous highs with darker respites.

Themes

evolution post-punk revival contradiction of characters genre blending stage-ready bangers

Critic's Take

Shame return with Cutthroat like a band that could not care less about pleasing anyone - the best tracks on Cutthroat are unapologetically brash and varied. The title track “Cutthroat” hits with a walloping disco beat and a chorus that blindsides, while “Cowards Around” captures live-show fury with breathless drumming and merciless lyrical targets. More subdued moments like “Quiet Life” and arty detours such as “Lampião” show why the best songs on Cutthroat also reveal Shame's depth and adaptability.

Key Points

  • The title track “Cutthroat” is best for its brash disco beat, laser riff and a jolting AutoTune chorus that encapsulates the album's boldness.
  • Cutthroat's core strengths are its blend of live-show energy and adventurous stylistic detours that reveal depth beyond punk bravado.

Themes

renewal and reinvention live energy captured in studio blend of electronic and rock elements frontman character study

Critic's Take

In her energetic, slightly mischievous voice Emma Way argues that Shame's Cutthroat is at once cheeky and blunt, where lead single “Cutthroat” opens numb but defiant and stakes its claim as one of the best tracks. She highlights character-driven songs like “Lampião” and “Screwdriver” as vivid standouts, while intimate moments on “Quiet Life” deepen the record through toxic-relationship storytelling. The review keeps returning to the band’s live-ready rawness and humour, which make these best songs land with both urgency and a wink.

Key Points

  • The best song is the title/lead single because it opens numb but defiant and sets the album’s urgent tone.
  • The album’s core strengths are raw live-ready energy, topical themes of corruption and toxic relationships, and a blend of humour with urgency.

Themes

corruption society's passivity toxic relationships escapism raw live energy

Critic's Take

Shame's Cutthroat slips between galvanic anger and brittle production, and the best tracks - particularly “Cutthroat” and “Quiet Life” - show why the band still matters. John Amen praises the title cut as a nervy earworm, and singles out “Quiet Life” for its well-rounded sonics and authentic longing. He also credits “Packshot” and “Axis of Evil” with dynamic moments, even while warning that treble-heavy production and thinness undercut several songs. The result is an album with exhilarating peaks but uneven songcraft, making the best tracks stand out by contrast.

Key Points

  • The title track is best for its nervy earworm quality and mix of swagger with burned-out nonchalance.
  • The album’s core strengths are galvanic anger, potent lyrics, and moments of dynamic range, though sharp production often undermines impact.

Themes

postpunk lineage anger and self-inquiry production/sonic sharpness hedonistic fatalism longing and entrapment

Critic's Take

Shame's Cutthroat feels like a sharpened reclamation of their best instincts, and the review makes clear which are the best songs on Cutthroat. The brilliantly bombastic “Cutthroat” and the snarling “Screwdriver” are held up as visceral high points, while “Quiet Life” is praised as one of their best tracks to date. The narrator's voice mixes sneer and affection, noting playful left turns like “Lampião” and glitchy experiments such as “Axis Of Evil” as evidence of growth. Overall the tone is triumphant: this is a band that sound more self-assured than ever, and those standout songs prove it.

Key Points

  • “Quiet Life” is singled out as one of Shame's best ever tracks for its disarming, Americana-tinged turn.
  • The album's core strengths are raw, barely restrained bite, sharp social critique, and adventurous sonic detours.

Themes

return to form raw energy social critique humour sonic experimentation