Feb 16, 2023
By Dom Gourlay
Electro-punk duo Shelf Lives release a new single today (Thursday 16th February). Entitled “BITE”, the new single is released amidst their current tour in support of Cardiff band Panic Shack, and arrives ahead of upcoming festival appearances at Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape, London Calling, FOCUS Wales and Are You Listening? Festival.
Originating from Toronto, Canada and Northampton in the UK respectively, Shelf Lives consists of vocalist Sabrina Di Giulio and guitarist/producer Jonny Hillyard – who now both reside in South London. “It’s about the battle between your awake spiritual brain that is trying its best to be a better person and to let go of its pride, and catching yourself going back to that angry monkey brain,” the band explains. “That’s why it’s called ‘BITE’, because it’s the most primitive thing we can do when we feel scared.”
Much like the meaning of the song, the accompanying video is primitive and raw. “The idea of having a modern day man losing his mind in the woods to temptation seemed the most fitting, as temptation is what brings us closer to that monkey part of our brain, and our modern mind is what pulls us away,” the band said.
“It’s as close to real life as you can get without feeling really depressed about it,” Sabrina offers by way of summarising Shelf Lives. “It’s the ideas we’re fed versus the reality, and we try to incorporate that completely in our sound by talking about these hard topics in a digestible way,” Sabrina explains. “I think that’s why the songs work, because they have that juxtaposition between the lyrics and the sound,” Jonny adds. “I just want to flash in people’s faces how fucked up shit is.”
“BITE” and recent single “Skirts & Salads” follow the outfit’s widely praised debut mini-album Yes, offence, which came out on the band’s own Not Sorry Mom Records imprint in April 2022.
Shelf Lives continue their tour with Panic Shack this month along with announcing a bunch of festival shows for later in the year, calling in at the following:-
FEB 18 Crofters Rights, Bristol (supporting Carsick)
FEB 23 Hull Central Library, Hull (supporting Panic Shack)
FEB 24 Attic Bar – The Garage, Glasgow (supporting Panic Shack)
FEB 25 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (supporting Panic Shack)
FEB 26 Bodega, Nottingham (supporting Panic Shack)
APR 29 Liverpool Sound City
MAY 4 FOCUS Wales Festival
MAY 6 Are You Listening? Festival
MAY 11 The Great Escape Festival
MAY 19 London Calling (Amsterdam)
“BITE” is out now on all digital and streaming platforms via the band’s own Not Sorry Mom Records.