Shame Cutthroat
Released Sep 5, 2025 Dead Oceans
Established consensus 9 professional reviews Updated Oct 1, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Shame's Cutthroat lands as a brazen, often exhilarating recalibration of the band's post-punk instincts, and critics largely agree it delivers potent highs even when its ambitions outstretch its cohesion.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Cutthroat
8 critic mentions
“lead single ‘Cuthroat’ is a numb but defiant opener for the record” — Clash Music
Quiet Life
6 critic mentions
“the disarming, Americana-flecked ‘Quiet Life’ stands as one of their best tracks to date” — DIY Magazine
Lampião
5 critic mentions
“shows an entirely new side to shame, one that reminds you why this record is the perfect way to demonstrate how much they’ve evolved” — Paste Magazine
Full critic consensus
Shame's Cutthroat lands as a brazen, often exhilarating recalibration of the band's post-punk instincts, and critics largely agree it delivers potent highs even when its ambitions outstretch its cohesion. Across nine professional reviews the record earned a 78.33/100 consensus score, with reviewers repeatedly pointing to the title track “Cutthroat”, the introspective “Quiet Life”, and the live-ready “Cowards Around” as the clearest evidence of the band's renewed punch.
Reviewers praise the album's blend of caustic rock, electronic flourishes and genre-blurring detours - from disco-leaning rhythms on “Cutthroat” to the Portuguese-tinged respite of “Lampião” and the snarling propulsion of “Screwdriver”. Critics consistently note themes of social critique, toxic relationships, anger and self-inquiry, and a frontman character study that drives both humour and brutal honesty. Many write that the best songs on Cutthroat are those that marry raw live energy with sharper studio production, producing stage-ready bangers alongside quieter vulnerabilities.
Not all reviews are unreserved: some critics flag moments where pursuit of accessibility yields thin or treble-heavy mixes and uneven songcraft, while others celebrate the record as a confident reinvention and return to form. The consensus suggests Cutthroat is worth attention for its standout tracks and sonic experimentation, a record that stakes Shame's place in a contemporary postpunk lineage while leaving room for sharper cohesion on future steps. Read on for detailed reviews that unpack where the album's strengths and tensions live.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Cutthroat
Cowards Around
Quiet Life
Nothing Better
Plaster
Spartak
To and Fro
Lampião
After Party
Screwdriver
Packshot
Axis of Evil
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 9 critics who reviewed this album
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
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The best song(s) like "Cowards Around" are best because they combine blunt, socially sharp lyrics with blistering tempos.
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The album’s core strengths are cathartic honesty, inventive arrangements, and a successful sonic reinvention.
Themes
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
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“Quiet Life” is singled out as one of Shame's best ever tracks for its disarming, Americana-tinged turn.
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The album's core strengths are raw, barely restrained bite, sharp social critique, and adventurous sonic detours.
Themes
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
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The best song is the title track "Cutthroat" because its immediate, thumping beat and persona work encapsulate the album’s adrenaline.
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The album’s core strengths are bold genre-blending, energetic hooks, and confident stage-ready songwriting that balances raucous highs with darker respites.
Themes
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
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The title track “Cutthroat” is best for its brash disco beat, laser riff and a jolting AutoTune chorus that encapsulates the album's boldness.
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Cutthroat's core strengths are its blend of live-show energy and adventurous stylistic detours that reveal depth beyond punk bravado.
Themes
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
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The best song is the title/lead single because it opens numb but defiant and sets the album’s urgent tone.
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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
Ho
Critic's Take
On Shame's Cutthroat the best songs land with bite and swagger: the title track is a roar, built as a swaggering, indie floor-filler that will level venues, while “Quiet Life” offers an acoustic, cowpunk-flavoured treat and “Plaster” channels Madchester-meets-’90s alternative charm. The band sound sharper than ever, fortifying their caustic rock with electronics and grooves, and the record saves a knockout - “Axis of Evil” - for last with an irresistible, ice-cool chorus.
Key Points
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The album saves its most potent moment for last, with “Axis of Evil” singled out as the standout for its irresistible chorus.
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Cutthroat's core strengths are its bristling bravery, caustic rock energy, and successful fusion of electronics, grooves and varied influences.
Themes
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
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The title track is best for its nervy earworm quality and mix of swagger with burned-out nonchalance.
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The album’s core strengths are galvanic anger, potent lyrics, and moments of dynamic range, though sharp production often undermines impact.
Themes
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
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“Spartak” is the best song because it marries sentimentality with the band’s strength and feels like a genuine emotional lane.
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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.