Album Of The Week: The Shelters

Being retro is trendy in the 2010s, and nearly every medium imaginable is feeling the craze. Beverages are showing labels of decades past, professional sports teams wear jerseys from different eras of their franchise’s existence and vintage clothing is the rage. It also reflects in the music as well; rock ‘n’ roll is heading back to its roots and The Shelters have that flowing with their debut self-titled LP that’s currently out. The new album has a sound that possesses a distinct British influence from both the Invasion era of the ’60s and the Britpop era of the ’90s.

How can an American band sound British? Well a lot of it has to do with swagger. American swagger from blues and soul music influenced the British swagger of rock ‘n’ roll in the ’60s with the Brits putting their own spin on it. The Shelters bring out that swagger from start to finish with their debut. Some songs make you dance while others take the mellow route with a stripped-down acoustic tone. It all makes up for something worthy for a band that has had the pleasure of playing with Tom Petty.

The future looks pretty bright for an act on the rise like The Shelters. The brilliance of their debut makes the ears yearn for what they have in store for the future. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s examine my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week:

With a twang that’s evocative of The Kinks, “Rebel Heart” is the lead single and it’s insanely good. With the guitar, drums and bass melding with the harmonies, the piano manages to sneak in at different instances within the track. “Surely Burn” has some grit to it and a driving tone that hits the ears with full force. A stripped-down ditty is “Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me,” a ballad about lost love that anyone with a broken heart can relate to.

Unfortunately The Shelters don’t have any New England dates set this year, but they’ll be performing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on July 13 so make sure to keep your TV locked that night and check out these guys live. The band will also be playing the Kaboo Festival happening in San Diego from September 16 – 18, the Life Is Beautiful Festival happening in Las Vegas from September 23 – 25 and the Austin City Limits Music Festival happening in Austin, Texas, October 2. Until they roll through your friendly neighborhood music festival, check out the self-titled debut from The Shelters. It’s nostalgic rock ‘n’ roll for the modern era.

Stream The Shelters’ Debut Album Here: soundcloud.com/thesheltersmusic/sets/thesheltersmusic-com; The Shelters’ Website: thesheltersmusic.com