Since the phenomenal response to their debut album Brave, The Shires rapidly moved to become the UK’s most successful country act, dominating the country scene, becoming the first homegrown country act to reach the Top Ten of the British album charts. Since Brave, they have moved in an increasingly poppy direction, from My Universe to Accidentally on Purpose. Now, they have returned with their fourth studio album ‘Good Years,’ recorded in Nashville, that feels at points like a return to their country roots. The Shires Good Years are still clearly ahead of them.
Since their debut album Brave in 2015, The Shires have dominated the UK country scene, helping bring country music to the wider UK population and opening the door for other British country artists to enter the Nashville scene – Ben himself winning a CMA this year for international broadcasting. Indeed, the duo will be the first UK artist to perform on the main stage at C2C this Saturday in London. Since Brave, their production and sound has shifted, imbibing increasingly poppier elements and cuts – including an Ed Sheeran cut on Accidentally on Purpose. This, their fourth studio album might be their most sonically brave record yet, and their most stand-out material is definitely the most unusual (unreleased) part of the record in the centre, where the record is stripped back and the duo’s signature harmonies are allowed to shine. Recorded in Nashville, the duo, in this album, bring back their country roots, yet imbibing some of the sonic pop elements that brought Accidentally on Purpose to the Royal Albert Hall. Without a doubt, this is my favourite of their records since Brave.
‘Lightning Strikes’ opens the album with a reverb-tinged trip down memory lane, questioning if a love would be right if it happened in another time. ‘Maybe it wasn’t our time, maybe it will never be right, or maybe lightning strikes twice.’ The track was a co-write by UK fan favourite, Cam, and the lyrics are stunning, instantly relatable and gut-wrenching. The track would have benefitted though from a more stripped back production, to give its lyrics a greater spotlight – at points the track feels like two songs melded together, a more stripped-back, raw version and a reverb-tinged poppy one. However, the single is catchy and memorable – a fitting entry, acting as a thesis statement, sonically, for the album to follow.
‘On The Day I Die,’ sonically is a reminder of My Universe, Crissie’s vocal taking centre stage on this one, singing of looking back on life, without regret because of having loved so deeply. ‘If I did one thing right, it was you and I. Oh, I loved you, I’ve always loved you.’ The song is powerful in its simplicity, touching on the idea of living in the moment with a lover – a theme that seems to be the central tenet of the album in its entirety – remaining in the present. This is the central theme for following track ‘Good Years.’ Counting into ‘Good Years,’ Ben takes the lead initially for this track about living in the moment. ‘The good year’s roll by… Don’t take your time, they’ll pass you by.’ Where ‘Guilty’ took a more electronic-tinged pop feel, this track – with the addition of strings – roots itself firmly back in Nashville. Happily, though, the duo appear to have imbibed the feel and sound of Nashville, without playing copy-cat, these tracks have definitive British qualities yet are without a doubt ‘country.’
‘No Secrets’ amps up the energy of the album – the duo’s harmonies are at their strongest on this track. Sonically, this is the ‘A Thousand Hallelujahs’ of Good Years and seems built for a live setting. Similarly, ‘About Last Night,’ is a powerful exhibition of the duo’s staggering vocal ability, both in harmony and solo, swelling and cascading over each other flawlessly. Released already as a single, the track covers that relatable territory in questioning a relationship’s status – detailing the confusion, questioning and apprehension about a transition from friends to something more. Their harmonies are incredibly tight in the song, giving it a far more ‘traditional country’ sound than Accidentally on Purpose.
The first track released from the album was ‘New Year.’ This track really brings back a tender quality to the album, ‘I don’t want to feel like this, I don’t want to miss you.’ The song has all the hallmarks of an Earle track – this a co-write with acclaimed writer Kaity Rae – and could easily have belonged on Brave, albeit with the more mature country-tinged production that seems to be the hallmark of Good Years.
‘Only Always’ is a stand-out moment from the record. The track is far more stripped back, allowing the duo’s signature harmonies to soar, particularly on the chorus. ‘Do I ever think about you still that way? Only always…’ The track questions what a past lover is thinking, and how they are remembering them, and is almost painfully tender. ‘Better Place’ later in the album has a similar feel. This is another clever, unusual sonic moment – stripped back to harmonies and keyboard, and the duo’s harmonies are simply devastating. It is a mark of their growth as artists that they seem more prepared to play around with their harmonies and solo moments without instrumentation, and also prepared to dig deeper as songwriters and artists. It is this move that delineates Accidentally on Purpose from Good Years.
Again, moving back toward their roots, the duo have cut far more tracks on this album with ‘traditional country’ themes, like adjoining tracks ‘Independence Day’ and ‘Thank You Whiskey.’ Delivered beautifully, it seems strange for a British duo who have always owned the ‘UK’ part of the ‘UK country’ label to have cut a track like ‘Independence Day.’ ‘Thank You Whiskey’ feels like the stronger of these tracks – again in a more stripped back moment, singing about drowning sorrows and overwhelming emotion in ‘whiskey.’ Ben is the lead here, giving his vocal a chance to really sing true – and it’s a special moment on the record.
One of my favourite lyrical moments on the record is ‘People Like Us’ – ‘I don’t care if people like us, because I like us just the way we are.’ The track is empowering, all about self acceptance both as lovers and against the world. Sonically, the track feels clever and quirky, complete with a country production that doesn’t feel cliche – thanks to the heavy use of minor sound and groovy rhythm. The song is a very subtle middle finger to their critics, while also a song about love.
‘Crazy Days’ rounds out the album – a track about being present amongst the crazy days – and seems deeply personal to the duo, who have certainly experienced a crazy few years of success, leading them from Glastonbury to BBC Radio 2 Hyde Park and now this Saturday to the main stage at C2C. This record feels like a return to where it all began with Brave, albeit acknowledging the journey they have traversed to get to where they are now. The Shires are at their strongest when they strip back the production to reveal their harmonies and strong lyrics, and this has been pushed throughout this record, playing around with the production to create a measured record with huge big production tracks along with stripped back, acoustic-sounding moments. Of all the records released so far this year, this has been one of the most surprising albums personally and it will be interesting to see how the record translates live this Saturday.
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Editor’s Picks
Better Place
Only Always
People Like Us
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