Manticore, Shovels & Rope, LP

Vinyl LP pressing. 2022 release from Charleston, SC rock duo Shovels & Rope. Originally planned as a stripped-down acoustic-leaning release, Manticore's tracks were written prior to the pandemic, but recorded during it, when Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst suddenly had much more time at their disposal. The duo reimagined the original arrangements, resulting in 10 new songs that range in sound from heartbreaking, stark piano to rollicking hard-rock and danceable guitar and drum numbers. Manticore reveals the band's most personal stories about love, family, marriage, self-realization, and more to date, and it carves out it's own distinct place in the Shovels & Rope canon.