What is it about folks who make records in which they play all the instruments themselves? Are they control freaks? Do they have trouble playing well with others? Are they painfully shy? Maybe a bit of all of those things and more? Shane Natalie from Columbus, Ohio, has released a handful of records under the moniker
Good Shade, and while he tours with a full band, in the studio he does everything himself, playing all the instruments and handling the engineering. He happens to be very good at it -- he can generate a good head of steam on guitar, he's got a healthy snap as a drummer, and when he sings harmonies with himself, it sounds properly rich and emphatic. But on his fourth
Good Shade album, 2019's
Way Out, Natalie devotes a lot more time to digging into his anxieties than he has in the past, which does invite the question: Is it easier to bare your soul when you're the only person in the room? Natalie opens up about his self-loathing ("401"), his feelings of isolation ("Apnea"), the mistakes he made with his ex ("Credit Score"), his fears of hurting others ("Where To"), and a lot more in these songs, and though he doesn't wallow in melodrama in his lyrics, he also pulls no punches and confronts himself with blunt honesty. But if you're not paying attention to the lyrics, you might not catch all that -- Natalie knows how to match great pop hooks to punk rock muscle, and
Way Out is a tough, solid blast of pogo punk that sounds like a party when Natalie's dark mood doesn't get in the way. Of course, the contrast between the furious joy of the music and the personal struggles in the lyrics makes for a pretty compelling creative metaphor, making
Way Out all the more powerful. The fact this album was the work of one guy alone in his studio somehow makes both sides cut even deeper. Smart, brave, and effective,
Way Out is a step forward for an artist who has even more talent and ideas than he'd let on before. ~ Mark Deming