Album Review: Shake Your Bones by The Potted Plants
There’s a common saying within professional wrestling that the most compelling characters come from the performers themselves simply dialing the volume knob past ten on their personality. The same can be said of performing artists of all kinds, where mystique and appeal come from exaggerated truths. Think of Johnny Cash’s appeal as a hardened outlaw or Iggy Pop’s reputation for unhinged mania, each deeply rooted in the real-life dispositions of the people behind the microphone. Even someone like Brian Wilson embodies this concept, his delicate genius and private torment so deeply embedded with his music that his inner world became magnified into transcendent expressions of longing and love.
For The Potted Plants, personality is everything. On their debut album, Shake Your Bones, it bleeds through every piquant lyric, shapes each stylistic detour, colors every melodic curve, and charges every rhythmic shake. The result is a record overflowing with sharp observations, poignant tales, and off-kilter charm, an album that unfolds like an intimate gathering of philosophers, comedians, and hopeless romantics. Each track exists as its own character vignette, not in the sense of fictional storytelling or costumed roleplay, but as facets of a hyper-expressive voice trying to make sense of the world with curiosity and wit. Here, the volume knob has been turned up so fiercely that it’s practically come loose, maxed out but still pushing forward, defying measurement or control by any ordinary standard.
Remarkably, Shake Your Bones achieves this without ever feeling larger-than-life. Though undeniably powerful, it stays firmly anchored in personal truth, a testament to how hilarious anecdotes can endure far longer than outlandish sitcom bits in our memories, and how personal heartbreak often outweighs even the most universal tragedies. Lofty yet sincere, Shake Your Bones showcases personality in motion, where vulnerability and theatricality exist in joyful harmony and thrilling tension.
Opening with the album’s title track, the band embraces a creative approach found in some of the most beloved works of our time: drawing inspiration from an obscure yet captivating reference. In this case, that source is the Dancing Plague of 1518, a notorious episode of mass hysteria that has popped up sporadically throughout popular music’s history. The echoes of this epidemic run deep alongside Danse Macabre, an artistic motif from the same period that has permeated culture far and wide, from Ingmar Bergman’s most celebrated film to the cult-favorite PC game King’s Quest VI.
What’s especially fascinating here is how the band threads another major staple of musical mythology into the track’s opening lines: the infamous deal with the devil. “Well the devil gonna rise up and Shake Your Bones\ On the eighth day of July\ For a form that you signed in mortal blood\ Oh he you can’t deny,” guitarist Luke Schares sings, channeling the eerie folklore of blues legends like Robert Johnson and Tommy Johnson, two legends rumored to have bartered their souls at a midnight crossroad for musical stardom. By merging this imagery with the centuries-old spectacle of involuntary dance, The Potted Plants bridge the historical divide, dragging medieval mania into the modern day, an era just as susceptible to collective hysteria, whether viral in the literal scientific sense or in the socially contagious one.
As the record unfolds, the band shifts into more personal songwriting, crafting love songs for partners (“10x”), family (“Proud”), and friends (“Safe Bros”), while also celebrating the quiet beauty in the everyday (“Summ’n Like That”) and the seemingly mundane (“Judas Tree”). Stripped of medieval frenzy or mythic lore, these tracks still brim with personality, as if the high-energy opening whetted the appetite for their whimsical storytelling and playful wit. On the second track, “Safe Bros,” the band eases listeners into this style with direct, candid lyricism that delivers memorable turns of phrase, setting the stage for the exuberant tracks ahead (“We’ll turn all our damps into wets into drys\ Back to wets again\ With four dancing sisters\ Of pine where the twilight and stars begin“).
Building on that, the album’s treasure trove of lyrical inventiveness reveals itself. Its reach is broad, ranging from the romantic, profanity-tinged devotion of “10x” (“10 times I’ll be your lover\ 10 times I’ll be your friend\ 10 different blanket covers\ Roll over, fuck me again“) to the wry acknowledgement of modern anxieties in “Judas Tree” (“Have a cider on the steps, and watch all the neighborhood dogs\ Take a break from our phones shouting rhetoric from demagogues“). At times, these lines stand boldly on their own, like the sweeping declarations of love in “10x.” At others, they blend seamlessly into the song’s design, as with “Judas Tree,” where whimsical call-and-response offsets the stark realism. Sometimes, the band is so adept at layering their wit that it flies by within the context of the song, almost indecipherable until the inevitable second or third listen, like in “Summ’n Like That” (“Been a few weeks since she moved in\ No decorations but a lot of sin“).
Yet these impish flourishes do not define The Potted Plants the way they do idiosyncratic artists like Father John Misty or Sparks. Instead, the band occupies a rewarding middle ground, bridging playful irony and classic songwriting craftsmanship, nodding to icons like John Lennon and Paul McCartney (name-dropped in “10x”). Here, songs balance charm and emotional immediacy, connecting the clever and unique intimacy of “Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)” with the heartfelt universality of “I’ve Just Seen A Face.” Tracks like “10x” feel widely relatable and deeply personal, uniting wit, sincerity, and melodic warmth in equal measure.
The band’s clever, eloquent voice is shared between the two songwriters and vocalists, Robert Torrence and Luke Schares. Each brings a distinct personality, yet their work is unified by genuine sincerity and thoughtful reflection. On “Proud,” Torrence exuberantly chronicles his family, from a globe-trotting sibling to parents who balanced youthful freedom (“You told me I could say whatever words I want so long as they ain’t mean“) with lessons in responsibility and protection (“And when I hit that jerk and practice, you stepped in to save my face\ Back in the car you said you’d have done the same“). In “Safe Bros,” Schares explores parallel territory, connecting modern gratitude with echoes of youthful innocence (“Make friends with some friends of our friend\ From back when he was young“), creating a sense of fulfillment that bridges past and present.
Through all of this, Torrence and Schares keep an upbeat spirit, with the exception of two standout songs that anchor the record: “Kindly, Please” and “Microplastics.” On “Kindly, Please,” the album’s whimsy remains, though the tone shifts slightly from deep admiration to sharp disdain. Some of the record’s most decisive lyrical moments appear here, most notably in the unforgettable chorus (“So if you can’t\ Be kind can you\ Kindly, please\ Fuck off“), though that is far from the song’s highlight. “Apologies don’t count \ When you’re being a dick,” Torrence sings at the end of the second verse, a particularly biting line that feels destined for t-shirts (or even tattoos for the most devoted fans). Yet the song’s most revealing lyric comes in the opening verse, capturing the thoughtful awareness that makes the album such a joy for fans of finely crafted songwriting (“I think I could write an essay \ On why I shouldn’t respond, so I’m not gonna respond\ That’s why we write songs“). It’s a rare moment where humor, frustration, and introspection converge, encapsulating the balance that defines Shake Your Bones: clever without being cynical, personal without being self-indulgent.
On the album closer, “Microplastics,” the band takes their emotional reach one step further, confronting a shared malaise that has intensified over the past decade. Rather than simply stating it, they infuse the track with catharsis through surging instrumentation and a sense of urgency. “Take me by the hand and we’ll\ Walk around the neighborhood stealing plants,” Schares opens, his delivery strikingly reminiscent of Ian McCulloch on “The Killing Moon.” It’s a playful, almost innocent diversion from the surrounding troubles, yet the track never dances around the gravity of its message. As Schares continues, the personal and collective strain has spread to a cellular level, spurring the need for action (“And I feel it in the microplastics\ Coursing through my veins\ Something inside has realized\ Its gotta be time to change“).
Of course, the rallying cry arrives at a moment when artists face some of their most significant challenges, a reality Schares confronts directly while keeping the focus on progression instead of regression (“The powers that be might be swayed this time\ Do something kind for man this time\ If it’s not too late“). While the song acknowledges a struggle we all recognize, it’s the personal hurdles that remain most pressing, distilled in the chorus’ emphatic confession: “And I don’t know if it’s the medicine\ Or the existential dread\ But I’m tryin (Oh I’m tryin)\ To be positive instead.” In this way, “Microplastics” resonates with the album opener, “Shake Your Bones.” Though the two are tonally divergent, and even feel distant from one another, they are thematically tethered by a shared sense of communal frenzy. Where “Shake Your Bones” channels delirium into a surreal romp, “Microplastics” wrestles with that hysteria head-on, suggesting that such overwhelming moments need not define the future but can instead be remembered as curious echoes of the past, just like that cheeky dancing craze.
This rich lyricism of Shake Your Bones drives much of its impact, though the album’s brilliance shines even without close attention to the words. Torrence’s sublime piano work serves as a cornerstone, offering profound depth on songs like “Safe Bros” and playful irreverence on others like “10x.” Schares’ guitar bursts to life on the opener, “Shake Your Bones,” before settling into a versatile, understated presence throughout the record, most notably in the memorable riff that punctuates the second verse of “Safe Bros.” Equally adaptable, the rhythm section (Patrick Rooney on bass and Joe Lubman on drums) anchors the album’s boldest moments, like “Microplastics,” while skillfully guiding the lively, sassy energy of songs such as “Summ’n Like That” and “Judas Tree.”
Perhaps the most understated element of the record is its vocal work, whose subtle brilliance elevates each track from merely enjoyable tunes to infectious earworms and unforgettable anthems. The band employs every trick in the book, from charming harmonizations to playful call-and-response flourishes. At one point, a whistle break sneaks into the mix, a reminder that they draw from their full creative arsenal. Not simply to achieve a wide-ranging sound, but to reveal their authentic selves. Every nuance of their creativity appears here, making Shake Your Bones delightfully eccentric and irresistibly captivating.
Full of relatable stories and soaring musicianship, Shake Your Bones is a true triumph for The Potted Plants. The album invites listeners to appreciate not just the story being told, but the craft that shapes it. How a simple observation, a wry aside, or a sharp expletive can carry the weight of lived experience while still eliciting laughter and recognition. How impulse and fancy can add meaning and direction to offhand remarks, transforming them from delightful zingers to personal mantras that can guide and inform our future. It’s precisely this inventive spirit that allowed four musicians who film music videos with sock puppets to create one of the year’s most exceptional records.
Shake Your Bones is out now, available to stream on all major platforms. You can catch The Potted Plants in concert next at The Auricular‘s seventh anniversary party on Friday, September 26 at The Camel where they will be joined by Bucko, Flora & The Fauna, and Artschool. For more information on that show, click here. To stay up-to-date with the band, make sure to follow them on social media.
