The rest of the world may not be familiar with Shatner, but the power-pop group from West Yorkshire have built up quite the cult following in their homeland. Their latest single release Heterosapien, from their newest album Enlightenmental, shows the world exactly what makes this band so special, and thrusts them into the global spotlight that they’ve more than earned for themselves.
Heterosapien sounds like a Clash record that had weird relations with a B-52s song. It’s kind of ridiculous and outlandish, but it’s rock and roll – it’s a whole lot of fun, and I love every minute of it. Shatner make it clear that they don’t play by anyone’s rules except their own. They have this mentality of embracing the weird parts that make them unique, and it’s this unapologetic, self-affirming attitude that makes the band (and Heterosapien) so infectious.
The track begins with a blues-rock guitar riff that drives the whole song and is quickly met with a sort of tribal drum rhythm and simplistic underlying bass-line. The vocals enter and start singing about a science-fiction subject matter. What would be very different elements all on their own, are somehow skillfully brought together to create something that works really well. All of this comes to a head when the chorus hits and there’s an explosion of sound and vocals that just envelops the listener.
In a world where a lot of rock stars today seem to take themselves too seriously, Shatner is a welcomed breath of fresh air. The goofy, quirky things that make them unique are the things they embrace, and they’ve put them on full display throughout Heterosapien.
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