Daily noise that works faster than any stimulant

11 October 2023

Being on a hiatus with her band CHVRCHES, frontwoman LAUREN MAYBERRY
takes her firsts steps as a solo artist. Recently she did some gigs and released
her first solo song, piano ballad Are You Awake? last month.

And now she shared a second solo effort, titled SHAME.

Mayberry: “I had the idea for a while of a song that had the tagline of “what a shame”,
but in a sarcastic way. And the word “shame” having a double meaning – the shame you feel and internalize, but what a shame you feel like that and can’t change it. Looking back on a lot of my life in terms of relationships, sexuality and my sense of self in the world, there is a lot of shame associated with that.

I came into my teens in the early-mid 2000s, a time period we now regard as a bit of
a shithole in terms of gender and media messages. What was deemed “attractive” for women and girls was quite disturbing in hindsight, and that’s what went into my brain at a formative time, romanticizing bargain basement, local band boy versions of Reality Bites Ethan Hawke.

But now I know better, my wiring is still to find those things attractive on a cellular level.
I know not to want those things academically, but emotionally, romantically, sexually,
I have been trained to find those things valuable and attractive.”

Shame‘s melody has more vigour and zest than any Chrvches song I ever
heard (to be honest, not that many). Think Goldfrapp and Róisín Murphy.
Think dancefloor fuel.

Tune in.

Mayberry: Instagram