Dry Cleaning is the band that formed in 2018, blew up during the 2020 lockdown, released their debut album in 2021, and immediately got to writing their next - the result of which is Stumpwork. Characterised by their post-punk instrumentals and low-key, spoken-word lyricism, which is as poetic as it is random, the band has gathered fans and acclaim for probing the subtlety of language and the blurred lines between musical genres. But with this new album, the band seeks to push the boat of musical creativity out further still, with forays into funk, psych and jazz and lead ‘speaker’ Florence Shaw experimenting with melody.
I will at this point pause and direct those not yet familiar with Dry Cleaning to the song titled ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ from their previous album New Long Leg. This track is a fan-favourite and the epitome of the band’s vigour. And with a chorus ending with the lines "Wristband, theme park, scratch card, lanyard/Do everything and feel nothing” you can start to get a sense of what this band is about. It’s gritty, moody and full of punk rock spirit and it is the perfect precursory listen to Stumpwork.
The band’s latest release further embraces the band’s goofy character, with a collection of tracks which range from the tale of an escaped pet-tortoise to a more embittered take on the sad financial state of the UK at the moment.
Starting with ‘Anna Calls From the Arctic’, one of the stand out tracks on the album, we are presented with a methodical beat and wavering tones and emphases from Shaw. For example, Shaw draws out the line “Emporio Armani builder”, in an almost mimic of singing but while retaining that mesmerising talk-singing. The band has said the song was inspired from a phone conversation with a friend who works in the Arctic, but crucially they described the track as “observational and sensual” which you can really sense from the lyrics as well as the ebb and flow of the instrumentals. It’s a lovely glide into the rest of the album, setting the pace for something different but characteristically theirs.
Next up is the track ‘Kwenchy Kups’. Much shorter but with a more joyful and upbeat melody, this track embraces the surroundings of Easton in Bristol, in particular marking out the simple joy of watching animals in a rather child-like way. Never has Shaw’s conversational flow been more prevalent than in this track’s line: ‘Well, things are shit, but they’re gonna be okay, And I’m going to see the otters, There aren’t any otters, There are’.
‘Kwenchy Kups’ transitions seamlessly and somewhat dramatically into the next stand-out track on Stumpwork: ‘Gary Ashby’. The song is literally about a “family tortoise” who escaped during lockdown, and yet manages to be both boldly serious and profoundly funny. As a track, however, it is creative musically and further sets the tone for a humorous album.
Following on from this humour, comes the track ‘Driver’s Story’ which is self-described by drummer Nick Buxton as "having a nice, oozy feeling to it’" With descriptions of Costa coffee cups and a rhythm and tone which reminds me of a long car journey, this nice, oozy feeling definitely comes through.
In contrast to this nice, ooziness comes ‘Hot Penny Day’, a song which has an eerie tone in its bass and was an attempt to channel the Rolling Stones, according to guitarist Tom Dowse. It has a more rugged feel to it and seems to be fuelled by anger with the lines “I'm not here to provide blank/They can fucking provide blank”, despite the title being based on a weird Devon tradition of throwing hot pennies at children.
The title track ‘Stumpwork’ is a simpler but pretty tune in which Shaw embraces her more melodious side. It’s a casual listen, with lyrics based on newspaper clippings consulted by Shaw in Woolwich Arsenal. But it nicely recollects listeners as they approach the mid-point in the album and helps us take a breather before continuing.
This breather is no less perfectly placed as the next track, ‘No Decent Shoes for Rain’, is the second longest of the album. Aptly named for the slightly more morose sound, this song echoes the feeling of drudging through the rain with wet feet due to poor shoes. There is a shift at 3:20 which feels like the clouds parting and the rain easing up but this relief doesn’t last for long, with the song building up again in a crescendo that embraces the rock-guitar sound. The band reels it back in again to finish, creating a track with ebbs and flows just like the unpredictability of the English weather or the durability of a pair of shoes in such weather.
‘Don’t Press Me’ comes next, which is another of my personal favourites from Stumpwork. The first lines “I’m not shocked, it happens all the time/Just don’t touch my gaming mouse”, might be another ode to the random and silly, yet it does seem to strike a chord with the numbness we have to terrible events in the news which coincide with the everyday. Shaw’s experimentation with singing comes through most prominently on the chorus of this track and with great success. All in all, it comes together to make a very whole and complete sounding track.
Described as “not usually their scene”, ‘Conservative Hell’ embraces overt political points in a way that also ties together the two distinct pop and groove musical tones of the album. It also has a lovely and warm outro which nicely leads into the the monotonous contrasting track ‘Liberty Log’, a song which the band expected to edit but decided was best in its rawness and so stuck with the first-take version.
The album ends with ‘Icebergs’, an upbeat and yet, as the song title suggests, icy track. Nick Buxton from Dry Cleaning reveals that they liked that the album ended with an icer tone and a “slightly more poignant ending rather than a nice, lovely outro.” Indeed, it is testament to the boundary pushing band that their last track is open ended rather than necessarily rounding the album to a neat and tidy close. Nevertheless, the lyrics “Stay interested in the world around you/Keep the curiosity of a child if you can” tie into the band’s exploration of very human things, whether that’s curiosity, politics or a pet tortoise.
Stumpwork takes its listeners on a varied journey, despite the basic premise of the songs remaining the same. Luckily, Dry Cleaning are in that phase of their development as a band where they are starting to gain some loyal followers but they have room to solidify their craft. It’s this flexibility which leaves much excitement and anticipation for what they will come up with next.
Image courtesy of Fabien Barral via Unsplash. Image license can be found here.
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