Intense Records

Shaking Hand

Melodic
MELO148LP
Rock
12"

Pre-order - Friday 16th January 2026

£19.99 (£23.99 incl. VAT)

Debut album from Green Man Rising shortlisted band. Part of the new Manchesterscene inc. Westside Cowboy, TTSFU, Dove Ellis and Formal Sppeedwear."A Trio of clean lines, meticulous planning, and comprehensive visions - So YoungFor Fans Of: Yo La Tengo, American Analog Set, Slint, Pavement.Somewhere close to Manchesters ever changing city centre, as the sun fades andpeeks through the newest glass facade, youll find Shaking Hand. One part in shadow,the other basking in prisms of light as they sketch out their own sonic landscapes inthe dusty redbrick mill they call home. One that is just about clinging on from theencroaching developments that surround them.Against this back-drop where buildings are constantly torn down & built back again,the three piece craft away. Pulling from early post-rock, and 90s US alternative rock,crafting their own brand of Northwest-emo. Assembling something new, yetnostalgic. Looking ahead towards the transforming horizon. Shaking Hands music isbuilt on tension and release quiets that stretch, louds that overwhelm. Repetitionthat feels both hypnotic and destabilising.The bands musical DNA runs through experimental guitar outfits like Women, Slint,Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Ulrika Spacek, balanced with the melodic sensibility ofBig Thief and the dynamic intimacy of Yo La Tengo. Their compositions push againststructure: sudden jolts of tempo, polyrhythms that almost fall apart, and riffs thatunravel into something fragile or ecstatic. Yet, as Ellis notes, theres an underlyingwarmth too: Like walking through an empty city late at night but catching flickers oflife in the buildings you pass.Early ideas like Night Owl and Sundance grew out of Georges lockdown bedroomyears, where new tunings (open E, drop D, and stranger Pavement-inspired set-ups)opened up uncharted textures. Later, in grim rehearsal rooms, the murky epic CableTies and the hypnotic Mantras absorbed the gloom and grit of the bandssurroundings.The album was recorded with producer David Pye (Wild Beasts, Teenage Fanclub) atNave Studios in Leeds, housed in a converted church. The live room was huge andperfect for capturing our sound, says George. Determined to bottle their onstageenergy, the band tracked the foundations live, layering vocals and guitars later.Soviet-era microphones, odd mic placements, and even phone-recorded demos fedinto the mix. Youve got to watch out for David though, Freddie laughs. He mademe play four tambourines in one hand, really hurt, man.Lyrically, the record drifts between abstraction and lived moments. Georges wordsoften spill out instinctively, words falling into place before their meaning becomesclear. A lot of the lyrics look like theyre buried in abstraction, he says, but when Ilook back I can see what they were about whether thats an emotional responseat the time or just an observation of what was happening around me. Therescontrast at the heart of it all optimism vs. doubt, the lightness of youth vs. themonotony of work, a city in constant redevelopment vs. the people drifting throughit.The album artwork is taken from unused plans for the 1970s redevelopment of LosAngeles by architect Ray Kappe, entitled People Movers. Hypothetical buildings forreal people, it feels a complement to the bands own constructions. One things forsure, Shaking Hands debut is built to last.Tracklisting1. Sundance 2. Mantras 3. In For a... Pound! 4. Night Owl 5. Up The Ante(lope) 6.Italics 7. Cable Ties