Post-punk Shame Spartak single takes aim at cliques ahead of Cutthroat album

August 16, 2025 rocknews

Shame are back with a vengeance. Their new single Spartak, taken from the upcoming album Cutthroat, lands with a slow-burning country sway and a sharp lyrical edge. Directed by frontman Charlie Steen, the video for Post-punk Shame Spartak turns teenage alienation into a pointed critique of social gatekeeping.

The track marks a shift in tone for the South London five-piece. Guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith says he was “basically trying to write a Wilco song,” but the final result still pulses with the band’s signature bite. Spartak trades jagged riffs for a woozy Americana groove, but the tension remains — simmering beneath Steen’s sardonic delivery.

Post-punk Shame Spartak video channels outsider rage

Lyrically, Spartak is Steen’s middle finger to the cool kids. “I was a chubby teenager who liked the wrong type of music and wore the wrong type of clothes,” he says. “It’s just another time I’d like to say fuck you to those people, and to anyone who makes someone feel shitty for not fitting in.”

The video, Steen’s directorial debut, leans into that outsider narrative. It’s surreal, slow-paced, and quietly confrontational — a visual extension of the song’s message. Post-punk Shame Spartak doesn’t just critique cliques; it dismantles them with style.

Shame’s Cutthroat era finds new ground

Still in their twenties, Shame have already built a reputation for raw, confrontational post-punk. Their 2018 debut Songs of Praise introduced a band unafraid to sneer and skewer. Follow-up Drunk Tank Pink pushed deeper into psychological terrain, while 2021’s Food for Worms flirted with melodic expansion.

Cutthroat, recorded with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton, blends electronic textures, Americana flourishes, and the band’s trademark bite. Steen describes the record as targeting “the cowards, the cunts, the hypocrites” — a mission statement that’s as blunt as it is bold.

Post-punk Shame Spartak follows April’s “Quiet Life” — dubbed a “rockabilly banger” by Stereogum — and the album’s title track. Together, the singles hint at a record that’s both sonically adventurous and emotionally direct.

UK tour dates for post-punk Shame Spartak fans

To support Cutthroat, Shame will hit the road this autumn with a European and North American tour. UK dates begin in Southampton on November 9 and wrap up at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on November 20. Expect sweat, spit, and Steen’s signature stage dives.

Spartak may be a curveball, but it’s one that lands with precision. For a band that thrives on tension and transformation, it’s the perfect setup for what’s next.