FEATURE: Spotlight: Dry Cleaning — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Jody Evans for Loud and Quiet

Dry Cleaning

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I am going to break one of my cardinal rules…

PHOTO CREDIT: Ed Miles for DIY

when covering and investigating Dry Cleaning. I am one who does not include artists on my blog who are not on Twitter. Whilst, previously, I have included some non-Twitter users, I ensure that every musician included – whether it is a standalone feature or playlist – is on Twitter. Dry Cleaning’s reasoning for not being on Twitter is, I think, that there is no real upside; no benefit or point beyond being on there. I can understand why some acts would want to avoid being exposed, but for a new act these days, Twitter is invaluable. Whilst I empirically disagree with Dry Cleaning’s stance on social media – their Instagram is a bit crap too -, their music is pretty decent. Maybe, when they put together their debut album, they will reverse their Twitter embargo but, right now, I shall continue. I know their music but, really, I do not know too many details about the band themselves so, largely, I am going to bring together features and interviews to flesh things out – and include some key tracks to give you an idea of the band’s vibe. The band consists bassist Lewis Maynard, drummer Nick Buxton and guitarist Tom Dowse. Florence Shaw leads and writes lyrics that seem almost random and cut together but are incredibly meaningful and relatable. I think, when it comes to background and getting a taste of Dry Cleaning, The Quietus’ interview from October of last year does a pretty good job:

“Maynard, Buxton and guitarist Tom Dowse had been friends and musicians in various projects for a while before they packed in their respective groups and formed Dry Cleaning at a karaoke night. “The previous band me and Nick were in had got to the point where we were trying to bring a choir and a horn section on stage,” laughs Maynard of his time in wonky-slick indie quintet La Shark. “We had to make this one quite simple: let’s never have to do a soundcheck ever again.”

Dowse, who had been performing in hardcore band Sans Pareil (formerly Pariah), was brought in on guitar, and the three went lo-fi, cramming their equipment into Susan’s garage, made even more cramped because it had been double walled owing to a lack of planning permission. “It was such a small space so we were literally on top of each other,” says Buxton. “It was touch and go if Flo could join the band at all because we didn’t know if she could actually fit in the room.”

Florence Shaw, a visual artist, drawing lecturer and picture researcher, was recruited by Dowse, who she knew from art school. She had no prior experience in music, other than two years’ worth of piano as a child, but had incorporated the written word into her art. In a pub, after a friend’s exhibition, Dowse played Shaw some phone recordings of what he, Buxton and Maynard had been working on in the garage. “Something about it seemed to click, those two worlds meeting, Florence and the music.”

Shaw has a keen interest in language, especially the particularly close kind of weirdness that can occur in its most mundane forms, like advertising jargon and greetings cards. “There’s something really interesting about things written from a marketing perspective or written to a template, and how that makes up so much of what you actually read,” she says. “It tells you a lot about how people’s brains work. It’s that thing of ‘how do you write something that’s tantalising, and makes you want to know more, and doesn’t give you enough information, and is still a bit mysterious?’ I find that really compelling, I think so much writing on the internet is like that, or the opposite of that where there’s way too much information, YouTubers unboxing something for 50 minutes; you think ‘My god! I want less!’ Have you seen that video ‘all my pets’? It’s a girl showing off all her pets, she’s got like 80 pets. You’re intrigued for like 10 pets. That’s my pet threshold.”

The lyrics to ‘Goodnight’, the first song on their first EP, come from a selection of YouTube comments culled from an Aphex Twin YouTube binge, a particularly rich arena for witterings both inspired and insane. “During what was probably the longest two and a half months of my life after a near death experience, I could not sleep. I was on edge at all times and the only thing that kept me going was Saw 2,” comes the first. Then, without a shift in voice, we’re in the midst of another. “My cat died three months ago at 17 years old. When this song plays I can remember the good old days when I was a kid how we played together with my cat at home alone with my brother and all the good days I had with her...goodnight sweet princess.” Then again: “She said have you ever spat cum onto the carpet of a Travelodge?”

I think I have renewed my interest in Dry Cleaning because of their track of last year, Viking Hair. It has this sort of moody and gothic quality, but there is energy and tension bubbling through. It is hard to describe the song, which proves Dry Cleaning have their own sound and, as many people have predicted, they are primed for bigger things. I am going to come to their two E.P.s very soon but, now, one more interview from last year.

DIY put the band in their Class of 2020 feature: predicting the best acts of this year and those who we should know about – I think they are also included in NME’s list of ones to watch this year. This excellent feature from DIY makes for very interesting reading:

“Describing their early mantra as aiming to be like “a cheap date” (“We never wanted to soundcheck; we wanted to be as easy as possible, just play a few parties for friends”), Dry Cleaning happily puttered along for a year, penning their strange tales - a combination of sparse, propulsive post-punk music and idiosyncratic storytelling - for themselves. It was only after a friend heard an early demo and offered them a support slot at London’s Shacklewell Arms that the band began to properly entertain the idea of playing live - a development that brought its own preparation. “We definitely had a few chats around ‘what gigs are like’, which was for my benefit,” laughs Florence. “Before then, we hadn’t had that much feedback on what we were doing at all. I didn’t have much of a clue how it would go down, or if people would respond to it in any way, so it was nice. People stayed until the end... they clapped...

“I’m quite pragmatic so I’d thought about it in terms of ‘How do I deal with this problem?’” she continues. “I don’t really dance, and I’m not a natural performer in that way, so I was always like, ‘Oh crap’. I had all these problems in my head where I wasn’t traditionally that kind of person, so my main plan was that if I feel nervous, I’m just going to show it. If I feel worried, I’m gonna look worried; I’m not just going to smile my way through it and be fake. I can just think about how to deliver the words, and just look however the hell I ended up looking.”

“The sheer logistics of being in a band are crazy. The amount of shit you have to sort out could easily overtake the creative side, if you let it. And I think our mindset is that we’re quite protective of that, and up for whatever can help us to remain creative with the additional attention that we’ve got,” nods Florence. “This last year, when things have been picking up, we’ve said we just want to do whatever helps the band’s output progress. So if someone’s expecting us to tour for two-thirds of the year, which probably won’t help us write stuff, then that’s probably not the best idea,” continues Lewis. “We’re finding our feet with what brings out the best in us as a band”.

The Sweet Princess EP was released last August, and that was followed up pretty quickly with a second E.P. Some asked why the band did not just combine the two into an album. You can check it out on the band’s Bandcamp page, and it makes for very interesting listening. I think one or two of the songs were available before the E.P. arrived, but it is nice having the full thing and listening in a single sitting. I also love the artwork of their E.P.s, and one gets a real sense of identity from Dry Cleaning. I am interesting seeing what they produce this year but, whilst some were still unaware of Dry Cleaning when the Sweet Princess EP arrived, the people at Pitchfork were ready to review. Here is an example of what they had to offer:

“Enter Meghan Markle. From the Sex Pistols to the Specials, British punks have long rallied against their heads of state. But over spirals of guitar that conjure memories of the Raincoats or the B-52’s, first single “Magic of Meghan” offers a staccato accounting of Markle’s graces. The Duchess of Sussex is illustrated as if she’s a young guidance counsellor who lets Shaw call her by her first name, or a friend from school she admires from afar. On the day of Markle’s engagement, we learn, Shaw was moving out after a breakup. The way she writes about Markle is almost like fan fiction: a morsel of celebrity bent and manipulated until it forms a new narrative specific to its author. It’s so endearing that it could almost stand to be a touch more critical of, you know, the monarchy.

Like empty bottles melted down and repurposed as stained glass, Dry Cleaning’s assembled observations capture the distortion of life on and off the internet, of spewing our deepest emotions into an anonymous void but biting our tongue when we encounter a real person. Type what you really feel, then close the tab and delete your history—maybe Florence Shaw will find it”.

I remember BBC Radio 6 Music playing Dry Cleaning quite a bit when their first E.P. came out and, like all bands who have a bit of mystery, there was great fascination as to who they were and where they were heading. I was surprised Dry Cleaning released another E.P. a short time after their debut. The fabulous and engaging Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks EP came out in October, and it sort of continues where the previous E.P. left off, but I think the tunes are stronger and the band seem tighter – even if songs from both E.P.s were laid down pretty close to one another. I do recall seeing Prescription Music put out some details regarding the E.P. and I was intrigued:

“Lyrically, Sit Down Meal is about being lost for words; there is some reference to both the language of placeholder text and greetings cards throughout the song.

Vocalist Florence Shaw has said the following about the inspiration for the single:

"It’s set at the moment just after being suddenly dumped. You cling to details, things you did together and reel at their significance. If you smell their perfume on someone else you feel overwhelmed, but immediately and painfully aware of how lightning quick a relationship can evaporate into thin air."

Boundary's collection of songs takes its name from the location and context of a shared genesis, and marks a significant chapter for the band as the last tracks to be written in their original rehearsal space.

The offering displays a more evolved sound than its predecessor; more textured and confidently realised without overlooking the melodic subtleties or minimal approach implicit on their debut.

There is a pop sensibility to the lyrics and a sense that this writing process has become more fluid; words are consciously used with more economy and are often repeated.

With this new recording, Dry Cleaning are seeking to expand the palette of their sound without nagging the simplicity and directness of their songwriting”.

Viking Hair and Spoils are terrific tracks that are full of bite, keen observations and humour. I especially like Spoils, as it jabs at the sad men of the Internet who are ripe for condemnation and mockery. I love Shaw’s delivery, which goes from spoken word to singing. I know some people do not like talk-singing, but I think Dry Cleaning’s music is at its most affecting when delivered in this manner. As I said, I will bring in more reviews and bits and pieces. I love both of the band’s E.P.s, but there is an extra edge or quality to Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks EP that makes the mouth water for 2020 promise. Again, a few sites and journalists reviewed the band’s second E.P., and I hope more people tune into their music and get involved with them – maybe a lack of Twitter presence is a reason why they have not been shared and exposed as they should have been.

Here is what Under the Radar wrote when they assessed Dry Cleaning’s second release:

“The purposely off-titled "Spoils" taunts the comically inadequate men of the Internet, romanticizes video games pretty effectively, and even takes the time for a cruelly basic guitar solo that sounds like a middle finger to guitar solos. "What's your problem, huh?/Hot cuties ignore you," Shaw enquires, before demanding "Stream my favorite shows/Just tell me who dies, tell me who finds love," a numbed, tired request that rattles against the furious heat of Nick Buxton's drums, Lewis Maynard's bass, and Tom Dowse's guitar behind it.

"Bullshit masculine mountain conquering crap," she concludes harshly on the wonky post-punk-funk of "Jam After School," which skewers the mores of middle England's middle classes while Dowse just riffs gloriously all over it, painting it huge and red and angry.

"You're nothing but a fragrance to me now," Shaw dismisses a former dinner date as the band lurch into a heads-down doom groove sparked with spectacular splurges of guitar as exciting as the title "Sit Down Meal" is heroically banal.

It's this wondrous and simple-seeming clash of hefty, post punk with snarky sarcasm and stoic poetry that lifts the band out of the realms of the many soundalike new-New Wave UK bands and places them firmly in the territory of a band it's unwise to ignore.

Dry Cleaning's blend of American indie influenced music and strange, dissociated, listicle-like lyrics is a beguiling potion. The phrase "I could listen to them read from the phone book" could never be more applicable”.

If you have not seen Dry Cleaning do their stuff, they have some dates upcoming, so you might be able to go and see them if you are nearby. If you think the band sound great in the studio – and they do! -, then they seem to sound even stronger when they are on the stage. The band played Ramsgate last month, and Contact Music were there to catch the show. Here are their impressions:

“Shaw's ability to capture, or steal or recognise, a phrase and re-present it along with other seemingly random anecdotes is what sets Dry Cleaning apart from many other bands. Yes, the soundtrack is compelling, very well delivered, full of hooks and ear worms but it is the lyrical prowess of Florence Shaw that makes Dry Cleaning something rather special. Her understated delivery with a hint of a smouldering soulful undercurrent is the perfect vehicle for her very creative and inspired words. "You're nothing but a fragrance to me now", Shaw sings as she imparts the tale of a failed relationship in 'Sit Down Meal'. While the guitar whirls around her, the bass rumbles on and the drums pound out the beat Shaw remains calm and centred throughout as if somehow deliberately detached and distant giving yet more gravitas to the performance.

Dry Cleaning played one new, as yet unreleased, song on the night, 'Unsmart Lady'. With a fevered drum roll from Nick, who was playing through an injury to his hands incurred earlier in the week, Dry Cleaning unleashed another potent song on the audience. "Don't mess it up", came a shout from the partisan crowd. Penultimately, and poignantly, on the eve of the 'Sandringham Summit', Dry Cleaning played arguably their biggest song to date, 'Magic Of Meghan'. The two youngest members of the audience clearly enjoyed this song, in appreciation of Meghan Markle, the most. As Shaw whooped her way through the song. "She's a smasher, perfectly suited to the roll... Just what England needs, you're going to change us."

Florence and her band closed out the night and their set with another track from 'Sweet Princess', 'Conversation'. Shaw's ability to deliver the trill of the phone ringing was something quite amazing in itself! On the Kent coast Dry Cleaning gave a great account of themselves highlighting why they are garnering so much attention and critical acclaim. Their collective musical artistry is something quite extraordinary and the fascinating lyrical construction that Shaw has made her own is nothing short of genius at times. A short but very sweet set from a band that are surely destined for bigger and better things”

Go and follow them on Facebook; check out their music on Spotify and Bandcamp – links are at the bottom -, as you will hear a lot more from Dry Cleaning this year. They have already put out two strong and unique E.P.s, and I feel 2020 is a year when they will…