[8] RockSound magazine gave the album 8/10, declaring that "writing with thoughtfulness, maturity and skill belying their youthful status, Sharks have quietly put together perhaps the most charming debut of the year.

[10] As announced on 9 December 2010, The Joys of Living 2008-2010, a 14 track compilation of previously released material (Shallow Waters, Common Grounds, and Show of Hands) plus two brand new songs,[11] was released in the US, Canada, Australia and NZ on 5 April 2011 by Velvet Scene in association with Rise Records (CD, vinyl, and download).

[16] Alternative Press magazine gave the album 4/5 stars, writing that "[t]hese 14 songs bristle with a wonderful sense of rock 'n' roll heritage that serves as a tribute to fallen heroes such as the Clash while simultaneously molding those influences into something refreshing and contemporary.

"[17] Sharks supported Social Distortion during their 2011 US Spring Tour,[18] and played their first ever US headline show on 29 May 2011 at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California.

Sharks' original bassist, Adam Lovelock, filled in at their headline show at the Social in London on 31 August 2011.

[26] On 6 May 2011 Sharks recorded a Daytrotter Session at Horseshack studio, Rock Island, Illinois, which was released online on 15 October 2011.

[32] According to an early album review by Entertainment Focus, "over the course of eleven infectious anthems, Sharks sharpen timeless melodies with an explosive edge tempered by intricate riffing and hypnotic harmonies.

"[39] Q magazine gave the album 4/5 stars and called it "a starry-eyed celebration of yearning on a US factory floor, as idealised by British spa town punks.

'Sea of All Seas', a previously unreleased track from the No Gods recording session, was included in a charity compilation album, Take Action, Volume 11, released on 8 January 2013.

[47] In September 2012 Sharks began recording demos for a second studio album, which they hoped to finish writing by the end of the year.

[51][52] According to James Mattock, "The whole approach with this record from the beginning was to have the process be very reckless and fun, and for every decision and idea not to be pondered on or over thought".

[55] Big Cheese magazine gave Selfhood 4/5 stars and declared it "a classic before its time and another winner",[56] while Alternative Press magazine, which also gave Selfhood 4/5 stars, praised Sharks' "skill with their classic source material" and called the album "a time capsule for musical Anglophiles of the '70s and '80s - and a virtual primer for anyone who missed them.

magazine, on the other hand, while still giving the album 3/5 stars, thought that Selfhood was "a slow burn affairs, rather than a petrol bomb through the window, but there's still fire here.

[1] James Mattock's new US based project, The Violent Hearts, released a download only EP, The Penalty, on 19 February 2014.

[64] Taking stock of Sharks during their spring 2012 headline tour, The Guardian judged that "their pogo-punk may often look to the US, but Mattock's accent and lyrical vignettes remain defiantly British.

"[65] With the release of Sharks' second album, Selfhood, reviewers found that the band had moved "squarely into indie-rock territory - more The Smiths than Strummer's gang [The Clash]"[58] or, alternatively, that they now had "a sound that's somewhere between Green Day and early Ash".