Petal has always been a deeply personal project for songwriter and lead singer Kiley Lotz. "Shame," the band's debut LP three years in the making, is an honest and perceptive exploration of the album's namesake. These 12 tracks recall the elastic indie rock of Death Cab For Cutie and Pedro The Lion - sometimes somber, sometimes upbeat, but always beautifully and thoughtfully crafted. The range of songs and emotions on "Shame" are notable: tracks like "Heaven" and "Camera Lens II" are indie-pop pleasures, brimming with nostalgia, while one of the album's brightest moments comes on "Nature," a brave song lyrically and vocally, as Lotz sings unaccompanied over a singular drum beat, proclaiming fearlessly, "I want to be part of the nature you were born from." The most rewarding part of listening to "Shame" is realizing that as Kiley Lotz looks inwards and honestly reveals what she sees, she shows everyone else that those anxieties, doubts and longings that come with the territory of love are universally felt.
