Sharks – Selfhood

From the raucous pub rock n’ roll noise that was The Joys of Living, to the slightly more anthemic indie rock feel of No Gods, right up to now where we have Selfhood, Sharks have only gone from strength to strength since their formation in 2007. Despite only having been around for a short while, Selfhood is not only Sharks’ third full length effort, it is also their last, following the news of their break up in July.

Kicking off Selfhood with the title track, James Mattock starts as he means to finish, by wearing his heart on his sleeve. Whilst there was no hint of a split upon the album’s release, the track is littered with ambiguous references that could be taken as an early indication that Sharks were indeed going to go their separate ways.
“Dead set on the notion to let what you love kill you
My head enjoys to watch it over and over again
Watch it all come to an end.”

Mattock’s tale of self-destruction is not only touching, but it’s one that would resonate with anybody. Supported by his band mates, the track is certainly more polished than the band’s previous releases combined; mixing raw Libertines-esque jangling guitars with a more matured production finish that is almost radio-friendly if it weren’t for the theme of y’know, completely fucking up.

What is a surprise, though, is that Selfhood then turns into being one of the most ambitious Sharks records to date, with Your Bloody Wings experimenting with upbeat rock n’ roll vibes that wouldn’t be out of place at a dancehall revival night, to a softer yet more anthemic Portland that could have been cut from No Gods’ Patient Spider. Staying true to their roots, Sharks keep up their football stadium group chants in order to, if nothing else, prove to us that they can still pack a punch no matter how over-produced Selfhood may sound at times.

The More You Ask Me, The Less I’m Sure is ear piercingly well done. With Mattock and Bayliss’ combined riffs against the former’s effortless and often slurred lyricism, the track shows that Sharks have made a steady transition from amateur snotty garage rock to sharp, clever indie band quicker than anybody ever could predict. Whilst there are a lot of filler tracks throughout, the likes of Sunday’s Hand and I Won’t Taint still have their own special kick that makes Selfhood in it’s entirety the strongest album Sharks have released. Touching from start to finish, if Sharks had to go, I’m glad they’ve gone out on such a high.