The SHRIMPS are two brothers from New York who have been making waves in the music scene with their live performances. I recently spent some time with their release Everything You Need To Know which is a twelve-song album. The songs are catchy and I found this to be an enjoyable album upon first listen.
The album opens with “Kidology” which sounds like a single if I ever heard one. The song starts with a couple of strummed chords and is quickly followed by a rhythm section. I thought the vocals were well delivered. The singer has a very pleasant tone to his singing. I thought the structure of the song worked well and the hook just pops. This was a great start to the album.
Up next is the mesmerizing track, “Enter The Dragon,” which exudes a mellow ’70s funk vibe. Its infectious melody and enchanting vocals instantly grabbed my attention. Despite its dance-worthy nature, the song effortlessly maintains a cool and laid-back atmosphere. The inclusion of hand claps further enhances its musical charm, leaving a lasting impression.
“Life” is a great one as well. There’s something empowering about this song that makes you want to “get after it.” The song has a surge of energy to it and reminded me of early Primal Scream. It has some psychedelic qualities I thought were well done.
“Always Be Happy” is very soulful and I loved the more minimalist approach here with the organ and drums leaving a lot of space for the vocals. On top of that the vocal harmonies were sweet. “Contender” has a lot of energy and seems like it would be a crowd favorite in a live setting. It’s funky but rock based. There’s a lot going on here and it’s well done.
I have no idea if “Julie Patchouli” is an actual person but The Shrimps wrote a song about her with a slick classic rock type of flavor. The song sounds seamless here and the hook on this song soars. The Shrimps turn into a country band with “Sunday Everywhere” which contains som beautiful lap steel guitar and what sounds like an accordion.
“Hold On” is a dance oriented song that put you in good spirits while “Wearing My Hat” gets back into funk mode. “Souls” was one of my favorites. It’s a very well written song that’s soulful, catchy and very easy on the ears. I loved the clean guitar on this song. The Shrimps keep coming with the emotionally resonant and pensive “Riverkeeper.” They close with a fantastic song called “Sign” which felt like a closer. He even wishes us well and it feels like a slightly somber but hopeful sendoff.
The SHRIMPS dabble with a lot of different styles over these twelve songs. I have to say whatever they attempt they hit out of the park. The vocals were consistently good and the songwriting is often exceptional. There’s a timeless quality to some of these songs. If you haven’t heard of this band before, I suggest spending some time with this album. It’s a great listen from beginning to end.
Garth Thomas