Local Review: Shrimp Parade — Ribcage

Shrimp Parade
Ribcage
Dangerfield
Street: 10.28.2025
Shrimp Parade = MGMT + Beach House

Maybe it’s the new year, or maybe it’s because at the time of writing this, I just finished watching David Lynch’s 1977 film Eraserhead for the first time. However, Shrimp Parade’s album Ribcage has been an excellent soundtrack for the introspective, somewhat uneasy and all-around tired mood I found myself feeling at the beginning of 2026.

Ribcage is 10 tracks long and clocks in at just under 30 minutes, but does a lot with what might not seem like a lot of time. Take, for example, the album’s opener, “Supernova,” full of synths and electronics straight out of some of Tyler, the Creator’s recent records or historic Tame Impala albums such as Lonerism. The track has a steady and expansive synthline that serves as an excellent building block for the rest of the songs’ electronic notes, chords and overall open, atmospheric sound. The transition into the second track, “Illusion,” is smooth — just like the track’s progressive instrumental. It’s a bit of a slow burn that evolves with its echoed guitar notes, joined again by swelling, expansive synths and smooth drums.

Track three, “Miss Pointer,” serves as an instrumental bridge in the tracklist. It’s full of spacious, looping electronics and an almost mystic backing instrumental that makes the vibe switch into track four, “i proposed to my third wife at an in-n-out burger,” hit even harder when it comes through. A recognizable switch-up, the tracks change in pace, and the way it plays with its own mood to create tension is unexpected but not unwelcome. It’s songs and records like this that make me want to better understand whatever instruments/equipment are used in order to assemble, layer and then share tracks that contain so many shifts and changes without alienating whoever is the listener.

The record’s title track finds itself in the middle of the tracklist and is undoubtedly my favorite from the album. Featuring guest vocalist Elise Wilde, the song’s gentle instrumental with its piano notes and acoustic guitar chords does an excellent job at containing texture and depth that are nice enough to listen to on their own, but once Wilde’s vocals come in, they do a wonderful job at highlighting not only what she is saying but elevating her performance when she says it. Standout lyrics like, “I let my body decay / So when your hands wrap ‘round my waist / All you would feel is my ribcage” as well as “Can’t make you proud if your not around / None of my efforts count / At least you think you’ve found yourself” remind me of some of the lyrics from Wednesday’s latest record Bleeds that stood out to me in how concise they are — while still expressing deep, heavy emotions.

The rest of the tracklist takes an almost Viagra Boys-esque spin with several of the remaining tracks’ names. Titles such as “Hand to Shrimp Combat,” “Stay a Well Informed Shrimp” and “Crustacean Manifesto” aren’t just shellfish puns — the songs themselves contain a lot of elements to be excited about. “Hand to Shrimp Combat” begins very lo-fi, almost ethereal like something from a Beach House or Cocteau Twins record, when suddenly these epic guitars rip and tear through to the forefront of the track. Suddenly they become the focus, demanding your attention, before they fade back into the mix, and so continues the record’s trend of very deliberate and well-executed transitions from track to track.

Ultimately, Ribcage was an excellent listen that I’d encourage those who are feeling amiss as the New Year continues, those who want to explore some of Utah’s lesser-known talented and diverse local music scene — or those who are simultaneously both or neither — to listen to. —Hans Magleby

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