Bridging the gap between soaring alt-rock and emotionally-charged indie, Cambridge four-piece Shambertans emerged from their local scene at the tail-end of 2019. Turning heads almost from the outset, the quartet have succeeded in impressing industry both in their hometown (making it to the final of the Cambridge band competition) and further afield thanks to the ever-growing arsenal of tracks at their disposal.
From the easy-going grooves of their debut single ‘Found’ to more weighty offerings of tracks such as the fittingly-titled ‘Electrified’, the band’s influences span decades, with echoes of anything from Oasis to Jamariquai.
The band’s latest single, ‘Into the Night’ takes a less frenetic approach to some of its predecessors, yet is no less encompassing in its delivery. An emotionally fraught vocal kicks things off joined by nothing but a solitary guitar, helping to compound the inherent track’s inherent loneliness. A subtle rhythm section provides some extra depth and indeed warmth; an understated bass driving the track forward beneath the layers of glossy melody.
Such a modest first half belies the track’s grandeur, however. Around the two-minute mark, ‘Into the Night’ blossoms, becoming a richly encompassing alternative indie offering, the vocals and lead guitar entwine to spin a gossamer-thin melody line that succeeds in feeling both impactful yet ephemeral.
Though something of a departure from Shambertans more swaggering indie-centric offerings, ‘Into the Night’ showcases just one of the band’s many facets, and their ability to turn their hand to most genres is a testament to both the band and indeed their myriad influences. And though 2020 might have thrown a spanner in the works for the band’s plans of world domination, the wheels are very much turning now. Get on the bandwagon sooner rather than later.