{"product_id":"shaking-hand_shaking-handreverse-grey-overprint-sleevedl-code_2026_dif","title":"Shaking Hand\/Reverse Grey Overprint Sleeve\/DL Code","description":"Somewhere near Manchester’s ever-changing city centre, as the sun dips and cuts through the new glass façade, you'll find Shaking Hand. One part in shadow, the other awash with light, as they carve their own soundscapes from the dusty red brick factory that houses them. A landscape that clings precariously to the encroaching developments around them.Within this backdrop of buildings constantly being demolished and rebuilt, the trio flourishes. Drawing on early post-rock and 90s American alt-rock, they fashion their own brand of North-Western emo. Assembling something new, but nostalgic. Looking to the future, to a changing horizon. Shaking Hand’s music is built on tension and release – silences that stretch, sounds that overwhelm. A repetition both hypnotic and unsettling.The band's musical DNA reflects experimental guitar outfits like Women, Slint, Sonic Youth, Pavement and Ulrika Spacek, counterbalanced by the melodic sensibility of Big Thief and the dynamic intimacy of Yo La Tengo. Their compositions break free of structure: abrupt tempo shifts, almost-deconstructed polyrhythms, and riffs that unravel into fragility or ecstasy. Yet, as Ellis points out, there’s an underlying warmth too: “Like walking through a deserted city late at night, but still getting glimmers of life in the buildings you pass by.”Early ideas, like ‘Night Owl’ and ‘Sundance’, arose from George's lockdown years, where new tunings (open E, drop D and stranger Pavement-inspired arrangements) paved the way for unexplored textures. Later, in dismal rehearsal rooms, the epic and murky ‘Cable Ties’ and the hypnotic ‘Mantras’ absorbed the gloom and starkness of the band’s surroundings.The album was recorded with producer David Pye (Wild Beasts, Teenage Fanclub) at Nave Studios in Leeds, housed in a former church. “The live room was massive and perfect for capturing our sound,” explains George. Determined to capture their live energy, the band recorded the basics live, overdubbing vocals and guitars later. Soviet-era microphones, strange mic placements and even phone-recorded demos all fed into the mix. “You have to watch out for David, though,” laughs Freddie. “He had me playing four tambourines in one hand, it really hurt, man.”Lyrically, the album oscillates between abstraction and lived-in moments. George's words often spill out instinctively, settling into place before their meaning even becomes clear. “A lot of the lyrics seem buried in abstraction,” he says, “but with hindsight I understand what they were about: was it an emotional reaction at the time or just an observation of what was happening around me.” At the heart of it all, contrast is ever-present: optimism versus doubt, the lightness of youth versus the monotony of work, a city in constant redevelopment versus the people who pass through it.The album artwork is taken from unused footage of 1970s Los Angeles redevelopment by architect Ray Kappe, titled ‘People Movers’. Hypothetical buildings for real people, that seem to complement the band’s own constructions. One thing's for sure, Shaking Hand’s debut album is built to last.","brand":"Shaking Hand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56675423551832,"sku":null,"price":24003825.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/5060168045973.jpg?v=1770403560","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en-us\/products\/shaking-hand_shaking-handreverse-grey-overprint-sleevedl-code_2026_dif","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}