Having recently signed to BMG, York’s finest Shed Seven are back with their first record in 16 years and fans of the band will be pleasantly surprised, with the five-piece retaining all the characteristics that made them so great in the first place, with 12 tracks that are well crafted and include a great deal of variety.

With 15 Top 40 singles, they were positioned just outside the top table of Britpop and, with Instant Pleasures, they’ll be hoping to reawaken that fan base two decades later. Produced by Youth from Killing Joke, who's previously worked with Kate Bush, U2, Depeche Mode and The Charlatans, it’s their first record since 2001’s Truth Be Told. Frontman Rick Witter remarks that the title works in two ways, “Not only is it a comment on our tech-obsessed, social media crazy, instantaneous world, it's also a literal tongue-in-cheek reference to the tracks themselves. Whatever you want these days you just click a button and you're instantly pleasured. It's certainly the way the world seems to turn at the minute.”

The first single ‘Room in My House’ is exactly what fans were hoping for when they heard the news of new Shed Seven music, with the anthemic, fuzzy guitar track an instantaneous number from the offset: “Wherever I go, you stop and you stare/But I’m not out tonight, I’m washing my hair. If it’s a spirit you love I can feel the connection/I look in your eyes but I see no reflection,” cries Witter in what are equally comedic and personal lyrics.

‘Nothing to Live Down’ carries things on with a satisfying melody, whilst ‘It’s Not Easy’ is a slower composition in which the frontman is backed by a gospel choir. ‘Said I’m Sorry’ perks things up in what is perhaps the jolliest song on the record, with the 60s-infused ‘Victoria’ continuing this trend. ‘Better Days’, meanwhile, almost enters ballad territory but still doesn’t forget the group’s attachment to melody. This is followed by the up-tempo ‘Enemies and Friends’ and ‘Star Crossed Lovers’, which both feature raucous guitars and wouldn’t be out of place on a dance floor. Witter is again in reflective mood for ‘Hang On’ before the band enter Americana territory with ‘Butterfly on a Wheel’.

‘Invincible’ then ends the album in serious fashion and it could even be considered to be self referential with regards to their reformation: “Swimming could be good for you, mostly when you think you’re drowning/You’re a judge and jury and executioner all at once/but I still feel alive.” It caps off an album of great variety that won’t set the world alight but will keep fans of the band more than happy, with 12 new anthems to sink their teeth into. However, it’s unlikely to expand their audience into new territories.

Paul Hill

Website: shedseven.com
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Twitter: twitter.com/shedseven