Tell Me You Love Me Again - Shiv & the Carvers
Twin Fang Records
Released on March 14th, 2025
There are some bands that stick with you from the minute you first hear them and Shiv and the Carvers definitely fall into that category. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had their debut EP, Physical Capital, on repeat since it came out in 2023 and have been eagerly awaiting more roller-skate punk ever since. The wait ended this year with the release of the band’s sophomore EP Tell Me You Love Me Again marking some of their most electrifying songs to date.
Tell Me You Love Me Again finds Shiv and the Carvers - made up of lead vocalist Shiv Scott, bassist Annie Jane Marie, guitarist Nicole Maxwell, and drummer Mike Wiznuk - exploring new depths of tone as they build upon their garage punk-meets-post-punk-meets-goth sound with inventive arrangements that showcase the band’s musicianship as well as their strong sense of collaboration. This is evident on each track but none more so than “Meltdown”, which contains the lyric from which the EP takes its name.
“Meltdown” perfectly captures the inner tumultuousness that so many of us feel when we’re going through something and feel like we’ve “exceeded [our] limit”. The band builds up this feeling as the song goes on with weaving instruments and vocals that give voice to the frustration, desperation, and impending explosion that comes with emotional turmoil. Near the end of the track, the band erupts into a viscerally cathartic (and masterfully crafted) breakdown which allows you to let loose along with the band and release your frustrations into the ether.
There should be more queer love songs and there should be more queer love songs that are done as well as “Danger Girl”. The band celebrates the thrill that comes along with falling for a (hot) heartbreaker who you know is nothing but trouble but you’re drawn to the danger regardless. The song is one of the catchiest songs that I’ve ever heard as the band incorporates bright splashes of pop-punk and alt-rock into their sound. There is longing, there is horniness, and there is so much joy. I need to make sure that I’m in a space where I can move when this song comes on because the urge to jump (or dance) to the chorus is that strong. This compulsion to sing and dance along is also extremely present on EP closer “I Want It All” which always makes me feel like there’s an electric current running through my bones in the best way possible.
Every part of Tell Me You Love Me Again works so well together and is a piece of art that is endlessly listenable. It doesn’t matter what your day has been like, the minute you put on this EP you will feel your spirits lift.
- Em Moore
