Mumbling Shame by Weak Sheep

Thoughts on a thoughtful and compelling album by Marielle Rypstra.

Mar 29, 2024

Hi Pal,

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Weak Sheep may not be a household name yet, but there is something about this project by Marielle Rypstra — and this album in particular — that makes me feel like more fans of indie rock need to discover it and give the music a chance. If you happen to fall into this category, allow me to be your guide through her most recent album, Mumbling Shame.

Indie rock has many expressions, but it’s often easy to tell the flavour you’re about to experience by the artist’s approach to guitar work. As “Steady” begins, the droning, finger-picking, laid-back atmosphere created by the easy strumming and drums is reminiscent of some of the best chill indie projects I’ve listened to in the past decade. Her voice and the harmonies match this ambience well, and the song is quite soothing. Lyrically, it is a song that speaks about the consistency of God amid the volatile inconsistencies of life as it reminds us of how much we need Him.

“One Thing” has a prominent bass groove that I love. It has a repetitive song structure and chord progression which gives the song a slight hypnotic quality. The song expands on the themes of reliance on God and His assurance with lyrics like this:

One thing that I know
No unraveling, no breaking apart
I’m held in your arms
No unraveling, no breaking apart
One thing that I know
I am yours

“Zombies” was the first song I heard on the album and it remains one of my favourites. It has a folksy approach to it generally but retains the ambient soothing qualities that permeate the entire record. It also has an infectious chorus and it wasn’t too long before I found myself singing the words, “…shame shame shame…” randomly (you’ll get it when you hear it). Lyrically, I think “Dead Church” is one of the top two songs on this album. If you know what to listen for, the biblical imagery and scripturally inspired words are quite clear. However, Marielle still writes this song in such a way that you do not need familiarity with the texts to connect with it. The best thing about it is the clarity of the message: Jesus is knocking and you have to let Him in.

The title track acts like a bridge that leads us to the second half of the album. It is quite eerie in its production and the shoegaze qualities that pervade this album are on full display here. “Open” is a piano-led tune that acts like a B-side to Dead Church in a subtle way. The former tune ends with the idea that Jesus is knocking and this song seems to be encouraging the listener to open up. I love the strings section on this one and the lyrics;

The door of your heart
Leave it cracked
Swing it open
Your doubts have made you paralyzed
The healer, he is right outside

“Carpentry of Men” is the best song on this album, objectively speaking. Loosely inspired by the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27, Marielle manages to weave this progressive indie tapestry that is just gorgeous to listen to every time. In every stage of an artist’s creative journey, I often feel like there is a song — or some songs — in their recent discography that captures their creative identity the strongest. That is what I think this song does for Weak Sheep.

“I Know You Know” brings back some of the chill indie feels of the early parts of this album with a soft post-punk palette. It does a good job of continuing with the reoccurring themes of dependency as Marielle sings, “…I need this storm to stop and leave/or I could come into the shelter of your wings…”

On “Inheritance”, we are reminded of Christ’s role as our intercessor before God and of our eternal rest and inheritance in Him. It’s probably already evident by now that I connect deeply with the lyrics of this album and if I could spell them all out to you here, I would. This song took some time to sink in but has grown to become one of my go-to tracks on this album. “Echoes” is a chilling narrative of someone who rejects the Lord and finds themselves listening to the saints commune with Him while being away from them. It’s a poignant end to the album but also fits the themes of the album quite well — as unpopular as that might sound. We spend most of the album speaking about the need for reliance and dependency, pivoting to Christ calling us to come to Him and our willingness to do so; it’s only fair to take a sneak peek into what a rejection of that call could feel like.

It’s not a coincidence that I have taken more than 6 months to write a review for this album. Sometimes that happens because I have a full plate, other times — like in this case — it is because the album is dense and it takes a while for me to unpack my thoughts. Within the Christian indie scene, there is a thin dividing line between indie worship and indie music.

Usually, on any given album or EP, you can place them in each of these categories by what the majority of the songs sound like. For the indie worship projects, you have songs that have creative indie foundations, whose lyrics and composition are suited to congregational or personal devotional worship. The indie music side usually tends to be more lyrically expressive, taking a storytelling approach with allusions to faith that tend to be more subtle.

And then there is the rare third category: the indie albums with biblically inspired and scripturally dense lyricism that do not have a “worship bone” in their body. Mumbling Shame is a highly reverent album that on the surface, does not commit the listener to any devotional experience. But the more you listen to it, the more it compels you to examine your life and drives you towards God. It is what I call: a true grower album. It might take some weeks, a few months or even a year; but if you keep listening, one day it is going to hit and when it does, it will floor you.

Genre(s): Indie Rock, Shoegaze, Folk Rock

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That’s it for today.

Catch you soon!

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