On a brisk night in March, London based group Dry Cleaning became the final band I saw live. The group was finishing off a two-night stint in Brooklyn at a sold out Union Pool before making their way towards SXSW, and in my humblest words were sure to breakout from this year’s round of travelers. Their self-released EP’s Sweet Princess, Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks, had become mainstays on my Spotify profile while I scurried around the city, especially their anxiety ridden anthems, “Goodnight” and “Conversation.”
Led by vocalist Florence Shaw’s stark, cold ramblings that breathe life into such mundane topics as shopping lists, Youtube comment sections and the type of followers one’s likely to accrue on Instagram. Joined by Guitarist Tom Dowse, Bassist Lewis Maynard and Nick Buxton on drums, the group weaves sparse instrumentals with a psyche tinge all while Shaw embodies the cut and paste images of the digital age.
Like many across the musical world, their hopes for a year filled with touring derailed due to the outbreak of COVID-19. However, the quartet managed to strike a deal with indie stalwart 4AD this past March and have shared a taste of new material with their latest single, “Scratchcard Lanyard.” The track shambles along with a pulsing bassline that lays down the groundwork for Dowse’s off-kilter guitar work and a syncopated drum machine. Shaw’s lyrics illustrate the joy one can find in simple pleasures, like patting your Dad’s head, Twix bars, theme parks, an array of bouncy balls and absurdist imagery of “a woman in aviators firing a bazooka.”
The track was translated visually in the directorial debut from artist duo Rottingdean Bazaar (James Theseus Buck & Luke Brooks), placing Shaw quite literally in her own makeshift nightclub filled with puppet patrons, miniature disco balls. Shaw’s breath even acts as a smoke machine. A humorous video that makes you long for the days when you could watch Dry Cleaning perform to an overcrowded bar alongside your best mates.
Check out their music video and a KEXP session from their spring tour.