UK post-punk quartet Dry Cleaning were a Stereogum Band To Watch back in the day, and they released their sophomore album Stumpwork in 2022. Since then, they've been touring hard, and their 2023 EP Swampy had a couple of extra songs from the Stumpwork sessions. Early next year, they'll release a new album called Secret Love into the world, and they recorded it with producer Cate Le Bon, who just released her own LP Michelangelo Dying last week.
While writing Secret Love, the members of Dry Cleaning locked in with one another at different rehearsal spaces. They tried out a few studios, demo-ing songs at Jeff Tweedy's Loft studio in Chicago and at Dublin's Sonic Studios with Gilla Band’s Alan Duggan and Daniel Fox. Ultimately, they chose Cate Le Bon as their producer, and they recorded with her in the Loire Valley. You can hear some of her influence at work in album opener "Hit My Head All Day." (I relate to that title's sentiment more than I would like to admit, but it's literal with me.)
"Hit My Head All Day" sprawls out over six minutes. It's driven by spacey percussion, dubby basslines, and Florence Shaw's playful spoken-word intonation. The song grows into a bleary psychedelic beast, with organs and guitars sweeping you off to other realms, but it retains its itchy, offbeat feeling. Here's what Shaw says about it:
The song is about manipulation of the body and mind. The lyrics were initially inspired by the use of misinformation on social media by the far right. There are powerful people that seek to influence our behavior for their own gain -- to buy certain things, to vote a certain way. I find it hard to read people’s intentions and decide who to trust, even in everyday life. It’s easy to fall under the influence of a sinister stranger who seems like a friend. We took a playful approach to the song. At one point it had harmonica on it instead of a vocal. At the demo stage we were inspired by There's a Riot Goin' On by Sly And The Family Stone.
BULLYACHE choreographed the dance-centric video for "Hit My Head All Day." Below, you'll find that clip, the Secret Love tracklist, and Dry Cleaning's short list of upcoming shows.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Hit My Head All Day"
02 "Cruise Ship Designer"
03 "My Soul / Half Pint"
04 "Secret Love (Concealed In A Drawing Of A Boy)"
05 "Let Me Grow And You’ll See The Fruit"
06 "Blood"
07 "Evil Evil Idiot"
08 "Rocks"
09 "The Cute Things"
10 "I Need You"
11 "Joy"
TOUR DATES:
10/02 - New York, NY @ Warsaw
10/11 - Split, Croatia @ Planet Dom Festival
10/23 - Madrid, Spain @Barceló Theatre
10/24 - Valencia, Spain @ Loco Club
10/25 - Barcelona, Spain @Paral.lel 62
11/07 - Brighton, UK @ Mutations Festival
11/08 - Bristol, UK @ Simple Things Festival
1/03 - Bognor Regis, UK @ Rockaway Beach Festival
4/22 - London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Secret Love is out 1/9 on 4AD.
