“The only way to go was big, horrid and chaotic”: Inside Shelf Lives’ new album hypernormaL

Ahead of the release of this Friday’s hypernormaL, Shelf Lives unpack every song on their capital letter-hating debut – from their attempt to be “cocky”, to having no control, to the ups and downs of life as a touring artist…

Jonny: “2 phoneS I think was the first idea we had for the album. It kicked off the vibe a little. It felt like a different direction sonically, which embraced a different side of us. That being, leaning into a more electronic sound, and a more UK influenced style in the beats and bass. Once we had the premise of the song lyrically we started to form the production more around that – for example, you can hear phone interference being used as percussive elements.
“The song kind of takes this character that is totally immersed in the hypernormaL world, feeling the lack of control which pushes them into the state of not caring. The two phones represent the battle between the two sides of you in this instance: the push and the pull.”

Jonny: “60K is an embodiment of a cocky version of ourselves which just seemed fun to try and be. We wanted to experience what it felt like to be that cocky rap artist who gloats and throws their money around. Except since we’re not that, in the slightest, we glorify turning down the money and pushing ourselves into financial despair. This relates to the hypernormaL theme of having no real control; therefore, having ‘control’ in any small aspect, like saying no when sometimes you really want to say yes makes you feel powerful and, at the very least, makes you feel something.
“What made this track extra fun in the making was working with Danio Forni. Danio has a history in all types of creative musical endeavours, but what really drew our attention was his mix of rock and beats. He just totally got it, and he allowed the space to have total free rein with no judgement. This is really how this track came to be. We love you Danio, Grazie.”

Jonny: “baby sonG is one of the most straightforward songs on the album. It’s our therapy session. We all need a day for ourselves and for most of us that’s every day. We’re just saying what everyone is thinking. We don’t want to be lonely and at the same time you don’t want to let anyone down. One of the hardest things in life is knowing when to give yourself time. Space, even. You innately want to do what feels right but if I had a pound for every time I did the opposite I’d be able to afford releasing this album.”

Sabrina: “Jonny already had been working on the beat and he just asked me what I was feeling, what I was thinking that day. I had just been listening to a podcast I frequently listen to called Giggly Squad because I identify with them so much and because of how un-serious it is regardless of the how serious the topic. Anyway, there was a part of it where one of the hosts was jokingly complaining about processes and people in her life and she stated strongly, ‘Can I just get a day?’ multiple times. It just stuck with me so when Jonny asked it was the first thing I said. So, thanks, Paige and Hannah!”

Jonny: “This track is inspired by one of our good friends. She’s an absolute savage. Lifestyle’s lavish. Don’t laugH is about censorship. The words you say or are not willing to say shapes who is around you. Censorship is a massive part of hyper normalisation. Is censorship giving you control over what someone can or can’t say or do you have no control over what you can say or not say?
“This was a really weird song to make. There’s a few different versions out there. We were stuck on this track for so long, the structure, the arrangement. I really don’t think there was anything else out there in the world to bounce off of. Yeah… weird track (laughs). I think we were so stuck the only way to go was big, horrid and chaotic.”

Jonny: “The sycophanT is becoming a common character in this world. It’s actually a word we’d never heard of, or least me, until Sean from NIXER just came out with the word first take. Again this song pertains to a duality. One side the sycophanT, the other the response to living in that. The sense of no control making you lash out unexpectedly just to feel some control.
“This collab came about in a cool way. We were packing down after a headline show at London’s Old Blue Last and heard this track come on. Shazammed it, and got in touch with Sean over Instagram. In the studio it was slow for a few hours, and not much was happening. Then we were like, ‘Okay, there’s 10 mins left in the session, let’s just Strat something completely the other side of what we’re doing real quick.’ I turned on the MC-505 drum machine, started that swinging beat, Sean instantly just said, ‘I’m so brash!’ My eyes widened, and the track was done (laughs). That vocal take from Sean is the first – not one word was written on a page. Then when he was away we switched it up, we wanted this sense of Sabrina entering the room, bpm switch up, boom here’s Sabrina, let’s fucking go!”

“To be honest you’re gonna have to ask Gr33bo! But we think it fits well on the album because it’s that moment of realisation where you understand the kind of world you live in.”

Jonny: “frissioN is the moment you lean in to the collapse. It’s the, ‘Oh well, I guess this is how it is now.’ We really just wanted to make a track that sounded ridiculous and huge. That was the real catalyst. I wanted that horrid happy type kick. We cannot say the we weren’t influenced by a bit of 2hollis for the production on this.
“Lyrically it really is truly that moment of where you say, ‘Give me all you got, I’ve been through it all, nothing can touch me.’ Which is actually, in my opinion, a really positive place to be as you’ve moved from helplessness to kind of a little bit of rage and anger.”

Sabrina: “try harD is the push and pull of playing live shows and the people you meet along the way. It’s the rewards and the ‘sufferings’ of touring and being an artist. It’s no secret that this life comes with sacrifices but it’s addictive and especially so to the type of person that wants to perform.
“Musically, the style of the track is a bit nostalgic for me. Growing up in Toronto there was this era where Eurodance music old and new just had us all in a chokehold. I loved it. I’ve lived many lives. Anyway, randomly I dropped this information to Jonny after hearing Kendrick Lamar’s Squabble Up where he samples Debbie Deb. We proceeded to binge listen to the likes Stevie B, Lil Suzy, Collage… all these old Eurodance artists and my knowledge of it even surprised me. I think it really inspired the beat and energy of the track.
“We toured with TATYANA in 2024 opening for Lynks and it was a natural love affair. Based on our mutual opinions, loves and gripes of the industry and how we still prioritise fun it was obvious that she had to be a part of the track. TATYANA made it sexy.”

Sabrina: “like heR is a personal one for me, actually. It’s for everyone who has struggled to feel like they’re enough. It’s for anyone who has had their joy stolen from the comparison gremlin. As a woman comparison this is not a new thing. It was as if we were encouraged to compare ourselves being told a lie that it would make us grow. In reality it just spawned competition and resentment and fractured the natural bond and community women have.
“To relate it to the album, we spent a lengthy amount of time writing hypernormaL and somewhat removing ourselves from the ‘circuit’. It was really difficult at times to feel confident about what we were making and not comparing ourselves to others that were seemingly growing while we remained seemingly stagnant.
“We spend so much time looking into an abyss of endless comparison that gives us infinite options for identity. It’s gotten to the point where a lot of us don’t know who we are. The mono culture is over, which means we are now being sold back to ourselves. We just wanted to let people know that they’re not alone.”

Sabrina: “Well, psychO is actually a fictional story inspired by a videogame. It’s not like how we usually write, but being able to completely remove any restrictions reality brings was really freeing. There is no strict narrative but it’s about two psychopaths who are on the road. They are vengeful, totally aimless, and their one and only ambition in life is to fuck with each other and the world. Actually, writing it out like that one could compare it to how you feel, sometimes, when you’re on tour (laughs). It’s literally like they’re living in a game of Grand Theft Auto. They completely embrace the chaos and let go, justifying their damage along the way. This song is originally from our last EP No Idea but the impression it leaves screams hypernormaL so we spruced up the mix and it made the cut. The album is somewhat of a collection of different characters and/or situations.”

Sabrina: “tone deF is the sum of the album – it’s why we put it at the end. It’s the end credits. This track was a subconscious release. It was actually one of the hardest to finish and the last to be finished and subsequently one our favourites. It’s another one that was actually quite personal. Much like a handful of the other tracks we lean in to the polarising emotions one person can feel, essentially at the same time and in a world where picking a side and doubling down is championed. The first half is the anger and indifference; it’s a sort of loud look-at-me rant. The second half is the ultimate ‘nothing’s real, nothing matters’ existential-esque downer self-talk where you feel raw but can’t bring yourself to share it because vulnerability is scary in a world of unsolicited opinions.”

hypernormaL is due out this Friday, February 27 via Not Sorry Mom Records

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