Following the release of their 2013 debut Consumer Complaints, and 2015’s follow up Why Choose, post-punk trio Shopping found themselves in an unrelenting cycle of touring, making their way across the UK, Europe, and the US. Meanwhile, in London, Power Lunches, a hub for the city’s DIY scene and the band’s usual rehearsal and writing space closed down. Then their drummer, Andrew Milk, relocated to Glasgow, and the band could suddenly no longer spontaneously get together to practice or write. The distance added an element of pressure: “As a band that only ever writes collaboratively, it’s essential for us to actually be together in the room before any songs start to formulate. It can be a little daunting when we all turn up, and we only have an afternoon to pull a song out of thin air”. Add to that a sprinkling of Brexit, Trump, a principally imploding world, and you’ve got yourself The Official Body— Shopping’s second album to be released on FatCat Records. Recorded over 10 days by Edwyn Collins at his Clashnarrow studio, The Official Body stays true to the minimal dance-punk ethos of Shopping’s previous releases, but seeks to “amp up the party vibe”. Fans of earlier records will undoubtedly find this logical unfolding of their musical approach thoroughly satisfying.