ThisIsTheMusic

Rising Scottish indie rockers, Shambolics are set to release their debut album Dreams Schemes & Young Teams, via Scruff of the Neck Records on Friday 16th February and it’s an album of the year contender.

Hailing from Fife in Scotland, Shambolics were formed back in 2018, by Darren Forbes and Lewis McDonald, as a reaction to the tedium around them; the teen years of hanging around the streets and drinking in the park, the band spent hours rehearsing, writing and building up their loyal fan base through energetic and frantic live shows at PJ Mollys in Dunfermline, before selling out several shows in Glasgow including St Luke’s; SWG3; The Garage and King Tuts, whilst signing a singles deal with the legendary Alan McGee’s Creation23 label. 

In amongst that, they’ve hit festivals along the way including the Isle of Wight, TRNSMT, Truck and Y NOT?

Now the band are to set to release their riotous, rocknroll debut album, that is undoubtedly an album of the year contender.

Here’s the ThisIsTheMusic song by song review of Dreams Schemes and Young Teams:

Influencer come racing out the blocks and takes a pop at social media influencers and how fake they are through chasing likes and comments by promoting products.

Never Be Mine infectious indie pop tune full of catchy hooks and relatable lyrics that provide a social commentary of small town life, capturing the frustrations and aspirations of young teens across the country.

Attention sees Shambolics play to their strengths from the very start. Pounding drums, sizzling soaring hooks, and bursting with plenty of energy. There’s a synth pop vibe thanks to the keys the chorus is trademark Shambolics: anthemic and waiting for you to sing it back to the band. The sweet backing harmonies are performed by The View frontman Kyle Falconer who helped write the song on his Spanish songwriting camp.

Coming For You punchy energetic from the start. This is a great rocknroll tune that’s driven by a rumbling groovy bassline. The instrumentals will have you hooked and the songs energy will ensure every hair on the back of neck stands up and really shows off the musical talent within the band.

Daily Dosage sees the pace and atmospherics drop. It has an infectious melody, crashing cymbals and as a song you’ll be toe tapping along to. Lyrically this song is about frustrations of daily life and taking the opportunity to make a change.

Dreams Schemes & Young Teams you are immediately hit with an infectious guitar riff, driving rhythms and upbeat melodies that drive the song along. Song about having dreams/ambitions and going out there and living them.. it doesn’t matter where your from. Do what you need to do!

“We wanted the songs here to be quite uplifting, including the ones that deal with social issues. It’s like even though shit happens, it’s going to be okay. It’s about trying to find some hope in the bleakest of times, about finding an escape from the terrible situation young people currently find themselves in.” 

Darren Forbes

If You Want It is a huge tune and one of the oldest songs used for the album. The Shams wanted to write a big energy song and they well and truly delivered. The rumbling bass line drives the verses along at a rapid rate, before the song bursts into the huge sing along chorus and huge sounding riffs. The woo woos in the chorus give the song a unique sound, whilst the relatable lyrics see Forbes ripping into a person who thinks he’s the main main after a few drinks. The reality is he’s skint and therefore is all talk. The lyric “Adidas on your feet but you’ve barely got a tenner” is written about Forbes and gives you a sense of Shambolics not taking themselves too seriously.

Fooling You is highly addictive indie pop full of dreamy guitar hooks and a clean crisp sound making this a real foot tapper. The guitars shimmer throughout with the big guitar riff ensuring the song soars. There’s plenty of drive and energy throughout the song and it’s just one that you’ll be coming back to time and time again.

Universal Credit is a soaring indie anthem that captures the bleakness and cruelty of the universal credit system. Lyrically this song is written based on Darren Forbes and Lewis McDonald’s experience of living on the dole and how various people, in authority have tried to drum their passion of being a musician out of them. It sticks two fingers up at them as here they are with a debut record and the world at their feet. I think it’s a great touch to have included the fans bellowing out “Mon the shams”

Everything You Should Have Done is bursting with energy and is led by catchy hooks that will be stuck in your head long after the listen. You are immediately hit with melodic vocals before an infectious melody fills the landscapes. Lyrically this song dives into the challenges of adulthood as we hear about someone caught in a cycle of partying and regret.

Losing Your Mind shows a gritty and mature side to the bands sound. Starting with a sumptuous guitar-finger picking patten, set against the backdrop of a melodic vocal, before the bass and drums quietly join in, which builds and keeps your gripped in wonderment and what’s coming next. A heavy guitar hook punches its way into the soundscape before exploding into life ahead of the huge singalong chorus, which features the ‘shams trademark harmonies and soaring guitar solos.  

Filth and Scum is an acoustic guitar folky sound with a great finger picking guitar patterns. The song bursts into life with stunning strings and is a song about how the working classes are portrayed by those in power and how they will rise above them.

Fight In Side is one of two bonus tracks and will become a fans favourite. It comes bursting out of the traps with its frenzy of guitar riffs and aggressive fast paced energetic nature. The song is driven by, thumping drums and a punchy heavy lead roff which has never been seen before on a Shams track. There’s a Fleetwood Mac style riff that supplements the main guitar riff. It’s high energy indie rock, full of frenzied attacking guitars and drum beats full venom. The vocal is fantastic, spitting the lyrics that ride the fizzing grooves and static charged riffs.

Tambourine Tam is an acoustic driven track, built around a great hookable guitar riff. The story telling lyrics about a character’s life from the “schemes” of Scotland are sublime and relatable. Trademark harmonies and melodies are on display throughout.

Shambolics have been on a long and arduous journey, to get to this point. The album is full of swagger and oozes class throughout; capturing the state of Britain through honest, relatable lyrics and infectious and highly addictive indie rock melodies, full of dreamy guitar hooks and singalong choruses.

Dreams, Schemes and Young Teams is a life affirming album and is an album of the year contender. 2024 is the year of Shambolics. ‘Mon The Shams!!

Shambolics guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Darren Forbes joined me on episode 97 of the ThisIsTheMusic Meets Podcast. Listen on Spotify or watch on You Tube.

Tickets for the bands UK headline tour are on sale now.

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