Band Of The Week #234 - Shit Present
This week’s Band of the Week is emo-power-pop trio Shit Present - who have just released their debut album ‘What Still Gets Me’ via Specialist Subject.
‘What Still Gets Me’, the album, is set for release 5th May via Specialist Subject Records. It also features ‘Unravelling’ which serves as a disconcerting representation of a “complete psychotic breakdown”, the lyrically nihilistic ‘More To Lose’, “I’ve been to therapy” song ‘Voice In Your Head’ and the boldly brilliant ‘Fuck It’. Shit Present’s previous EPs ‘Shit Present’ (2015) and ‘Misery + Disaster’ (2016) have been repressed too and are available to order now. The releases garnered acclaim for Cairns’ fervent vocals, exploring themes of anxiety, depression and solitude.
While ‘What Still Gets Me’ doesn’t shy away from the heavier topics, there is a playful reprieve, a kind of comfort among the chaos. “I was trying to let my 13-year-old self out, the one that loved all the embarrassing pop-punk,” Cairns explains. By leaning into the joy that made her love music in the first place, ‘What Still Gets Me’ urged Cairns to express herself more freely than ever before, with the help of bandmates Thom Weeks (guitar, bass, vocals) and Ben Cottam (drums).
They took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Shit Present - how are you? So your album is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hi!! We are good!! It feels like my god thank the heavens I don’t have to think about this anymore.
It is called ‘What Still Gets Me’ - what is the meaning behind that?
It’s funny cause I really thought this was a sentimental name that struck a chord with me. You can get over things but past experiences will stay with you and shape how you behave and feel forever; but then I realised Jo from S club 7 released this pop ballad I loved as a teenager and the pre-chorus lyric is ‘BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT GETS ME’ and I think I must’ve just found that really powerful lol.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
We recorded this album in a completely stupid way that I do not recommend for anyone. We could only afford a few days with our friend James Bragg who is great and a proper producer with a nice studio in Cornwall. We managed to get 19 songs (stupid) half finished with him. Then Thom recorded all his guitars and my vocals in his studio in Bristol on odd evenings and weekends over about a year (very stupid). Then we sent everything back to James Bragg to mix and master! I’m not sure what we were thinking, just get a loan and grow up. But also, DIY or DIE ya know.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
I think the album is literally 50/50 about my experiences of being mental, and men being terrible. I have struggled with both of those things a lot in the last 5 or 6 years so that’s what I tended to write about.
If the album could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
Maybe like Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. A cheesy british pre-teen film. Except instead of the love interest being a hot guy in a band, it would be the girl who has the band and the big concert scene at the end would be her killing it and winning over the guy but then being like “nah ur ok”.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album - if so, which one and why?
It’s probably a line from the third song, ‘I’m all you’ve achieved and everything you regret’. It’s about that inner monologue we all have and even though the song is mainly about how critical it can be I like that this line touches on how the inner narrative is also responsible for feeling good about ourselves too, sometimes too good.
Now the album is out there - what next?
I really don’t know! We joke we are barely a real band. But we did work hard on this for ages so I do hope we can play a bunch of shows and get out there a bit. It would be nice to get good at playing these songs live!
