Dry Cleaning – Hit My Head All Day
Dry Cleaning’s third album “Secret Love” drops January 9 via 4AD, and lead single “Hit My Head All Day” sets the tone. Florence Shaw’s distinctive spoken delivery floats over a six-minute groove that mixes dubby bass, spacey percussion, and guitars that build from controlled to psychedelic. The band worked with producer Cate Le Bon at Black Box Studios in France’s Loire Valley after testing out sessions at Jeff Tweedy’s Chicago studio The Loft and Dublin’s Sonic Studios with Gilla Band’s Alan Duggan and Daniel Fox.
Shaw describes the track as addressing manipulation and misinformation, particularly how social media amplifies far-right messaging. “There are powerful people who seek to influence our behaviour for their own gain,” she explains. “I find it hard to read people’s intentions and decide who to trust.” The demo drew inspiration from Sly and the Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” and at one point featured harmonica instead of vocals.
The production balances polish with texture. Le Bon keeps the band’s raw edge intact while adding depth to their sound. Lewis Maynard’s bass line has a disco-like quality that recalls Talking Heads’ genre fluidity. Tom Dowse’s guitar riff sits somewhere between grunge grit and ’70s rock sleekness, repeating until it lodges in your brain. Synth flares add warmth throughout.
Shaw’s vocals anchor everything. Her speak-sing style gives the band freedom to experiment across genres while maintaining their identity. “We are very sure of our identity,” Shaw says. “It doesn’t seem possible to disassemble them.” Guitarist Dowse adds: “The most important thing is that you have personality.”
“Secret Love” draws inspiration from early 1980s US punk paranoia, Keith Richards’ swagger, stoner rock, no wave, and pastoral finger picking. Shaw’s lineage is connected to spoken-word artists like Laurie Anderson and Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings. The result feels simultaneously experimental and accessible, dark and playful.
Tracklist:
- Hit My Head All Day
- Cruise Ship Designer
- My Soul / Half Pint
- Secret Love (Concealed in a Drawing of a Boy)
- Let Me Grow and You’ll See the Fruit
- Blood
- Evil Evil Idiot
- Rocks
- The Cute Things
- I Need You
- Joy
Tour Dates
North America:
- October 2 – Warsaw, New York, NY
Europe:
- October 11 – Planet Dom Festival, Split, Croatia
- October 23 – Barceló Theatre, Madrid, Spain
- October 24 – Loco Club, Valencia, Spain
- October 25 – Paral.lel 62, Barcelona, Spain
- November 7 – Mutations Festival, Brighton, UK
- November 8 – Simple Things Festival, Bristol, UK
- January 3 – Rockaway Beach Festival, Bognor Regis, UK
- April 22 – O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
