Shrag
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | London and Brighton , United Kingdom |
| Products | Indie pop music albums and singles |
Shrag was a British indie pop band with strong post-punk influences, operating primarily out of London and Brighton. They produced three albums under the Where It's at Is Where You Are label, with their final release issued jointly with Fortuna Pop!.
Formation and early years
The band's debut recording was the self-produced track "Punk Grammar," which appeared on Under The Beach, A Heart Attack, a 2003 compilation album and fanzine showcasing Brighton-based groups. The fanzine depicted Shrag's origin story in a comic book format: following a party at Brighton's Sussex Heights, five attendees—comprising DJs, promoters, academics, and musicians—decided to create a band named Sussex Heights Roving Artists Group.
Shrag built their audience gradually through extensive touring, supporting acts such as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and leading their own headline performances. Due to health-related absences of drummer Leigh Anne Walter, Andy Pyne from Medicine & Duty frequently filled in for live shows before officially joining the band in 2009.
This personnel change resulted in many initially planned songs being either abandoned or reworked, with new compositions reflecting a transition from lighter pop sounds to darker, more introspective themes.
The lead single from their sophomore album Life! Death! Prizes! was "Rabbit Kids," an anthemic love track that received considerable airplay and favorable reviews from media outlets including Pitchfork and AllMusic. Musically, the group narrowed their style into focused, energetic rock numbers, though tracks like "Coda" and "Furnishings" displayed gentler nuances. The album’s centerpiece, "The Habit Creep," featured an intense spoken word segment, while "Ghosts Before Breakfast" embraced more experimental and noisier influences.
Released in October 2010, Life! Death! Prizes! garnered acclaim comparable to their debut and facilitated appearances at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon as well as a BBC Radio 1 session recorded at Maida Vale Studios.
Canines
Shrag’s third studio album, Canines, came out in July 2012. Produced by Andy Miller, it was released through WIAIWYA in partnership with Fortuna Pop!.
Helen characterized the record as "a pop album about bones and skin and cities and compulsions and love and confusion. It’s somewhat unusual, yet some tracks are danceable, and it resonates with us in a unique way that feels very exciting."
Singles from the album included "Tendons in the Night" (a split release with Tunabunny), "Show Us Your Canines," and "Devastating Bones." In addition, the band issued a non-album 7" single titled "Unseasonal Thoughts" via WIAIWYA's 7777777 record club series.
Critical reception was favorable: BBC Music praised Helen’s "vibrant use of language," NME acknowledged the band's "strong songwriting capabilities," and Drowned in Sound suggested the album pointed toward even greater future achievements.
On 2 January 2013, Shrag performed a session for Marc Riley on BBC Radio 6 Music, during which they announced their disbandment. Their final single was released on 11 February, followed by their last live show at London’s Lexington on 15 March.
Albums
- Shrag (2009), Where It's at Is Where You Are
- Life! Death! Prizes! (2010), Where It's at Is Where You Are
- Canines (2012), Fortuna Pop!/Where It's at Is Where You Are
Singles
- Pregnancy Scene/Mark E Smith (2006)
- Intelligent Theft/Cupboard Love (2006)
- Talk to the Left/Hopelessly Wasted (2007)
- Different Glue/Lost Dog (2008)
- Long Term Monster/Forty Five 45s (2008)
- Rabbit Kids/Erratic Fictions (2009)
- Tights in August (2010, digital release)
- Ghosts Before Breakfast (2011, digital EP)
- Tendons in the Night (2012, split single with Tunabunny)
- Show Us Your Canines (2012)
- Devastating Bones (2012)
- Unseasonal Thoughts (2012)
- On the Spines of Old Cathedrals (2013)