The Official Body
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox album
| name = The Official Body
| type = studio
| artist = Shopping
| cover = The Official Body Shopping.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2018|01|19|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Post-punk
- funk rock
- new wave
- post-rock
- surf rock{{cite web|title=Review: Shopping - The Official Body|url=https://www.slugmag.com/national-music-reviews/review-shopping-official-body/|website=SLUG Magazine|accessdate=21 May 2018|date=4 January 2018}}
}}
| length = {{Duration|m=40|s=54}}
| label = FatCat
| producer = Edwyn Collins
| prev_title = Why Choose
| prev_year = 2015
| next_title = All or Nothing
| next_year = 2020
| misc = {{Singles
| name = The Official Body
| type = studio
| single1 = The Hype
| single1date = 25 September 2017{{cite web|last1=Rettig|first1=James|title=Shopping – "The Hype"|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1964154/shopping-the-hype/music/|website=Stereogum|publisher=Bauer Media|accessdate=20 May 2018|date=25 September 2017}}{{cite web|last1=Thompson|first1=Paul|title="The Hype" by Shopping Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/shopping-the-hype/|website=Pitchfork|publisher=Condé Nast|accessdate=20 May 2018|date=27 September 2017}}
}}
}}
The Official Body is the third studio album by British post-punk band Shopping. It was released on 19 January 2018 through FatCat Records.
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| MC = 76/100{{cite web|title=The Official Body by Shopping Reviews and Tracks|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-official-body/shopping|website=Metacritic|accessdate=20 May 2018}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last1=Phares|first1=Heather|title=The Official Body – Shopping|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-official-body-mw0003111225|website=AllMusic|accessdate=21 May 2018}}
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2Score = B+{{cite web|last1=O'Neal|first1=Sean|title=Shopping, The Official Body|url=https://www.avclub.com/first-aid-kit-they-might-be-giants-and-5-more-albums-1822124308|website=The A.V. Club|accessdate=9 January 2019|date=19 January 2018}}
| rev3 = Clash
| rev3Score = 8/10{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Robin|title=SHOPPING – The Official Body|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/shopping-the-official-body|website=Clash|accessdate=21 May 2018|date=15 January 2018}}
| rev4 = Exclaim!
| rev4Score = 6/10{{cite web|last1=Blenkarn|first1=Matthew|title=Shopping: The Official Body|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/shopping-the_official_body|website=Exclaim!|accessdate=21 May 2018|date=15 January 2018}}
| rev5 = NME
| rev5Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Thomas|title=Shopping – 'The Official Body' Album Review|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/shopping-official-body-review-2216300|website=NME|accessdate=19 December 2019|date=16 January 2018}}
| rev6 = Pitchfork
| rev6Score = 8.1/10{{cite web|last1=Moreland|first1=Quinn|title=Shopping: The Official Body|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/shopping-the-official-body/|website=Pitchfork|accessdate=21 May 2018|date=19 January 2018}}
| rev7 = Record Collector
| rev7Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|last1=Pearlman|first1=Mischa|title=Shopping – The Official Body|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/official-body|journal=Record Collector|issue=475|accessdate=9 January 2019|date=January 2018}}
| rev8 = The Skinny
| rev8Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last1=Scott|first1=Hayley|title=Shopping – The Official Body|url=http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/shopping-the-official-body|website=The Skinny|accessdate=9 January 2019|date=17 January 2018}}
| rev9 = Uncut
| rev9Score = 7/10{{cite journal|last1=Pattison|first1=Louis|title=Shopping: The Official Body|journal=Uncut|issue=249|date=February 2018|page=32}}
| rev10 = Vice (Expert Witness)
| rev10Score = A−{{cite magazine|last1=Christgau|first1=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|title=Robert Christgau on Fever Ray's 'Plunge' Into the Beyond|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/robert-christgau-on-fever-rays-plunge-into-the-beyond/|department=Noisey|magazine=Vice|access-date=17 January 2019|date=24 February 2018}}
}}
The Official Body was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 15 reviews. Tom Hull gave it an A-minus and said that the "songs are tight, clean, [and] have a rhythm and tone similar to that of such classic post-punk bands as Wire, Gang of Four, and Joy Division.{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=28 February 2018|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2608-Streamnotes-February-2018.html|title=Streamnotes|website=Tom Hull – on the Web|accessdate=9 July 2020}}
Track listing
{{tracklist
| all_music = Shopping
| all_lyrics =
| total_length = 31:31
| title1 = The Hype
| length1 = 3:55
| title2 = Wild Child
| length2 = 2:22
| title3 = Asking for a Friend
| length3 = 2:42
| title4 = Suddenly Gone
| length4 = 2:38
| title5 = Shave Your Head
| length5 = 2:54
| title6 = Discover
| length6 = 3:01
| title7 = Control Yourself
| length7 = 4:12
| title8 = My Dad's a Dancer
| length8 = 2:14
| title9 = New Values
| length9 = 3:43
| title10 = Overtime
| length10 = 3:53
}}
Personnel
The following individuals were credited with the album's production and artwork.{{cite web|title=The Official Body - Shopping Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-official-body-mw0003111225/credits|website=AllMusic|publisher=All Media Network|accessdate=20 May 2018|date=20 January 2018}}
- Edwyn Collins — Producer
- DLT Design — Layout
- Billy Easter — Cover Photo
- Shopping — Design, Layout, Primary Artist
- Matthew Williams — Inside Photo
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://shoppingfc.bandcamp.com/ The Official Body] on Bandcamp
- [https://fat-cat.co.uk/release/the-official-body The Official Body] at FatCat Records
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Official Body}}