Review of the The Shoos debut album “Rescue Room”
Review by Saranne Murray
Often, when someone says an album is a grower, it’s taken as a negative; basically just like saying “I didn’t really like it when I first heard it”. Not so in the case of Dublin four piece The Shoos first album, Rescue room. Although its only seven songs long it feels complete, every song is a cracker and works well. There are definitely no filler tracks and each song blends perfectly with the next. The band always said that they didn’t want to do a full album, and it’s good to see that they’ve stuck to their promise. I had loved the band since the release of their first song Yeah and played it inside out for a good few months after first obtaining it. After dropping off the radar for a bit I was glad to see that they had finally released something a bit more substantial. Their songs always capture the listener and so I was expecting to fall for this album too. And I did, after a few listens!
The opening song Long way down, starts off pretty slowly, and then suddenly kicks into quite a catchy chorus, definitely worth a listen. I wasn’t sold on this one straight away, but after a few days with the album, I have been singing it in my head in the supermarket, surely the sign of a catchy tune? And catchy is something this band does well. This album doesn’t quite catch you straight but there are plenty of choruses that stick in your head, such as those of Idolise and Do it: both solid sing-along-in-the-car type tracks. Turn around is a much slower song, but again it has a chorus that makes you want to listen. Fan favourite Yeah makes a welcome addition catchy and familiar it’s sure to be a firm favourite with people not already familiar with the track. Recent single Distance is clearly the standout track of the album. It grabs the listener instantly and makes you wonder why you haven’t taken more notice of the Dublin four piece before.
I reckon that this is an album that takes time to get into. I’m glad that I was reviewing it, otherwise I might have not given it the notice that it deserved, and written it off as an average first album with one great track. If you liked their earlier stuff, then the chances are that you’ll like this, it has all their previous hits as well as some brand new gems, and if you’re one of the people that compared them unfavourably to a number of other Irish groups, then this will change your mind. The Shoos have really come into their own with Rescue room and I hope that these killer tracks are a sign of things to come.