Album Review – ‘Love in the Time of Shark Attacks’ by Attic Lights

On Friday, February 1st, Attic Lights, an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, released their third record, ‘Love in the Time of Shark Attacks’ via Elefant Records.

There is only one way to describe Attic Lights’ latest work: pure spunk. Lyrically, the band nailed it- sometimes laid back, sometimes serious, always relatable ( taken from “Never By Myself”, ‘I need a drink, I’m serious, someone go to the bar and get me a drink’. Pretty sure that’s a universal emotion.) My personal favorite line from the record is “I’ve shed friends and people who I loved, but I never gave the ghost of you up”, from the penultimate song off the record, “Kings of Whatever”. Attic Lights surely lacks no diversity in lyricism, and can be heard both lamenting lovers past, and advising a friend on the phonetic importance of the ‘L’ in their name, lest they be called simply ‘-Ooy’ (“Louis”).

Sonically, ‘Love in the Time of Shark Attacks’ borrows influences from across the board- some blues here, some pop here, some indie there- to get the distinct ‘Attic Lights’ sound that sets them apart from other bands today. The record spans emotions from love and longing, to happy-go-lucky and defeated, all while making you wanna dance along with it. Despite the bits of melancholy in some songs (“Come Back to Me” and “Back Rub”), the infectious guitar riffing and bouncy bass lines will lift even the lowest spirits, and make you say “Everyday’s a peach” (“Kings of Whatever”).

If you haven’t heard ‘Love in the Time of Shark Attacks’ or the band’s previous two records, I highly recommend checking them out.  You can listen to them here on Spotify and follow them here on Facebook, and if you’re in Scotland, keep an eye out for their next live show!