ALBUM REVIEW: hypernormaL – Shelf Lives
Anyone with an interest in the UK’s underground music scene over the last few years will be familiar with the duo SHELF LIVES. The last few years has seen the duo release a smattering of singles and EP’s that have melded their infectious style of modern punk combined with electronic music into what makes them such an exciting act to listen to. 2026 finally sees them release their debut album HypernormaL, an LP that is long over due, and the best part – it is well worth the wait.
Almost instantly the intensity is turned up to 11. Album opener 2phoneS is a rough around the edges punk track packed with attitude from Sabrina Di Giulio as she delivers an almost spoken word song over some sultry and sexy sounding bass and synths alongside a great driving guitar riff to boot. It feels like a song by THE PRODIGY and almost instantly will have you moving. 60k continues this style and the bass line somehow gets bigger and dirtier to the point you’ll almost be pulling stank face as you see yourself in a room dancing away with a crowd of people with pupils the size of saucers as the rave element takes the forefront of the track. The barn storming track baby sonG shakes proceedings up a little and takes the shape of more a rap tune than a punk track, giving the album a fresh feel almost from the get go which is a promising aspect. It sounds massive and genuinely impresses you that this wall of noise is from two people.
don’t laugH packs the album further full of attitude as it brings in a darker tone with bigger beats that isn’t dissimilar to a RUN THE JEWELS track, once again keeping it exciting and keeping you on the edge of your seat as you get excited about what’s coming next. You’ll feel your head buzzing if you have this track as loud as possible. sycophanT keeps the big beats coming and sees Jonny Hillyard at the forefront this time as the beats build and build before launching us into another sumptuous bass line which sees Di Giulio back on vocal duties as her spoken word vocals kick off her part before erupting into another wall of noise that puts you in a trance, begging to experience it in a mosh pit as a distorted guitar gets louder and louder turning the track into an album highlight.
After Gr33bO serves as a brief interlude we are back on track with the album through frissoN, which is absolutely mega. A wonderful bounce and wall to wall synths truly see SHELF LIVES in their stride as they’re giving all the good stuff here. The best way to take this album in would be to listen to it in absolute darkness and let your senses take control as it marches on relentlessly to its end. try harD is a great fast paced ditty that does feel like a nice change after two massive sound tracks that goes hand in hand with like heR and works as an amuse bouche as we turn our head towards the albums finale.
psychO is our penultimate track of HypernormaL and brings back a broody atmosphere with effective echoey vocals that do sort of feel like a drug trip as the sound bounces around your head with some nice sludgy sounding bass lines to boot before fading out as you lay there in the aftermath of the song before reaching the album’s destination. After an LP jam packed with enormous sounding tracks, final track tone deaF defies expectations and finishes on a softer note. Whilst the giant ending is teased, the duo defy expectations and deliver us a softer note which you could say acts as a comedown to the trip that the rest of the album feels like as it softly takes us to the end.
As far as debut albums go, HypernormaL is wonderful. From start to finish you are encapsulated in the world of SHELF LIVES. It’s a tour de force of noise that seduces you, teases you and leaves you wanting more as soon as it’s over. There’s no over indulging either, there is the right amount of everything on this album and not one track feels out of place. SHELF LIVES have you in the palm of their hand with this album leaving you wanting another hit from them straight away.
Rating: 9/10
Hypernormal is out now via Not Sorry Mom Records.
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