Dry Cleaning release debut album ‘New Long Leg’
The band bring their usual playful quips and strange ramblings about out-of-date food — you won’t want to skip
★★★★☆
Photo: Steve Gullick
Forming in 2018, the South London band have mastered the art of mixing spoken word with smooth sung vocals, mirroring the style of The Cool Greenhouse amongst others, but twisting the niche stylistic approach and making it 100% their own. There are not many bands that would be willing to expose themselves to the public eye as much as this foursome does.
Opening with one of their popular singles, Scratchcard Lanyard, the raw punk tinge sets the tone for what’s to come. With frontwoman Florence Shaw’s monotonous vocals, she puts a spin on an otherwise male-dominated post-punk scene. It’s refreshing, to say the least; in a genre covered with the likes of Idles, to hear a completely different sound from other bands you often hear grouped together.
“If you like a girl, be nice — it’s not rocket science,” is just one of the lines that stick out in Unsmart Lady and play against the trope that if a boy is mean to you, he likes you.
With a time frame of 45 minutes, the album doesn’t rush; with songs like Strong Feelings, titular track New Long Leg and More Big Birds offer a slightly slower — not much, but it makes a difference.
Leafy begins as a boppy number that would fit right into a playlist for somebody’s ‘chill’ house party (you know, the ones that never end in a ‘chill’ way). It warps into Florence talking about what needs to be thrown out — including a big jar of mayonnaise — and giving her advice to “never slag off your ex”. Perhaps it’s not a song to get you into the party mood after all; the stark contrast between the vocals and the beat clear as day.
With titles like Her Hippo and John Wick (the character made famous by Keanu Reeves), you’d expect nothing less than odd lyrics that sound as if they’re being translated straight from a personal journal. Like someone’s airing your dirty laundry without checking what they’re saying first (there could be a Dry Cleaning pun here somewhere, I’m sure).
Playful lyrics like “someone pissed on my leg in the big Sainsbury’s” sets them apart from their peers — I mean, not everyone is willing to put all of their mishaps and misdemeanours on a very public outlet and simply have fun with it.
A.L.C — maybe their take on the T.L.C that brought us Waterfalls? — starts off with a reverberating guitar sequence then develops into a tale of woes; poor-paying jobs, nosy neighbours and “fixing old pants”.
The closer, Every Day Carry, brings more of the same that we’ve previously heard but still showcases unique lyrics only the ones daring enough to spill their ‘beans’ could speak — or anyone who can appreciate a “banging pasta bake”. “Droopy flute solo comes in now,” murmurs Florence and it does; adding to the layers of instruments that have been intricately strung together to create the ending to the debut album.
