Dry Cleaning Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks

Rewind Review: Dry Cleaning – Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks (2019)

Released not long after their first EP, Sweet Princess, Dry Cleaning‘s Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks further intrigued post-punk fans in the United Kingdom and around the world with its hypnotic, mostly spoken-word lyrics and wild, angular sounds.

The Cure-like bass of “Dog Proposal” gives way to jangly guitars and vocals about working one hundred-hour weeks and trying to break out of the daily grind (“I’ve joined a gym near the office!”) seem to come from a different place, physically and mentally, than the instruments. “Viking Hair” is a story of a stunning woman who’s “a tragic heroine” when it comes to her love life. The band throws Joy Division guitars at you while the lyrics grab you by the back of your brain.

“I’m cool with spoils,” sings Florence Shaw on “Spoils” while Lewis Maynard lays down a great, heavy bass line and Tom Dowse‘s guitar tilts back and forth between buzzsaw and police car siren. “Stream, stream, stream my favorite shows. Just tell me who dies and who finds love,” Shaw sings / speaks. Even she is tired of the endless scrolling of streaming TV.

“Jam after School” is a weird and cool mix of school gossip and what sounds like a clinic on how to create a good post-punk single. “Sombre One” has an appropriate title, as it’s just Shaw’s sparse vocals (“Can’t seem to get out of bed easy.”, “Snacks and drinks, closed space, get rid of photos.”, “Move into the caravan park and be done with it.”), Dowse’s sparse guitar notes, Nick Buxton‘s hand percussion, and strange samples. The closer “Sit Down Meal” has Shaw stating, “You’re nothing but a fragrance to me now.” I’m not sure which is harsher: Her verbal smackdown or the band’s killer, almost swaggering hooks and chops.

It’s a sharp EP that left everyone clamoring for more material from Dry Cleaning. Thankfully, New Long Leg came out earlier this year.

Keep your mind open.

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Dry Cleaning release “Viking Hair” from upcoming new EP.

UK quartet Dry Cleaning share the second single off their forthcoming EP Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks (their second EP in just over 4 months), entitled “Viking Hair.”

Trademark repetitive, melodic guitar motifs ring out over an energized rhythm section that builds to a gradual crescendo. The result is invigorating and driven yet thoughtful and emotive.

Lyrically, Viking Hair is inspired by romantic ideas about someone you’re attracted to but don’t know well, and distracting things seen in the street. The ‘oooohs’ are intended to sit somewhere between a heart monitor flat-lining and feedback from a microphone.

The song is accompanied by a video shot and edited by the band and Pedro Pina. The band provides the following context:

“Cactus Club is a weekly LGBT line dancing class and club where everyone is welcome. Based in Clapham, South London, it was established in 1993 and is run by Michael, Anne and Peter. Whilst recording ‘Viking Hair,’ we noticed the mood and rhythm of the song brought line dancing to mind. We found Cactus Club online and approached them to see if they would be interested in helping us to make a video. Dry Cleaning wish to thank the Cactus Club organizers and all the dancers who took part for sharing the fantastic atmosphere at their club with us, and for their enthusiasm and expertise.”

WATCH “VIKING HAIR” VIDEO https://youtu.be/d5MNSuhiIGM

LISTEN TO “SIT DOWN MEAL” https://youtu.be/2zd2K4_UykQ

Both EP’s, July’s Sweet Princess and October’s Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks, will be compiled together for a 12″ vinyl release on October 25th and can be pre-ordered HERE.

DRY CLEANING TOUR DATES: Oct. 17th – Dublin, IE @ Workman’s Club Oct. 19th – Bristol @ Simple Things Festival Oct. 20th – Cardiff, UK @ SWN Festival Oct. 23rd – London, UK @ The Lexington Nov. 23rd – Glasgow, UK @ Great Western Festival Nov. 24th – Sheffield, UK @ Picture House Social Wed. Feb. 12 – Manchester, UK @ Gulliver’s Thu. Feb. 13 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s Fri. Feb. 14 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Sat. Feb. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club Thu. Feb. 20 – Cambridge, UK @ Portland Arms Fri. Feb. 21 – Liverpool, UK @ The Shipping Forecast Sat. Feb. 22 – Birmingham, UK @ The Sunflower Lounge Fri. Feb. 28 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store Sat. Feb. 29 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana Sun. March 1 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers Tue. March 3 – London, UK @ Village Underground

Dry Cleaning online: https://drycleaning.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drycleaningband/ https://www.facebook.com/drycleaningband/ https://pitchperfectpr.com/dry-cleaning/

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Have a “Sit Down Meal” with Dry Cleaning on their new single.

LISTEN TO “SIT DOWN MEAL” https://youtu.be/2zd2K4_UykQ

Today South London’s Dry Cleaning have announced their second EP, Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks, following the critical success of summer 2019’s debut Sweet Princess. As well as available digitally, both EP’s will be compiled together for a 12″ vinyl release on October 25th (pre-order HERE).

Sweet Princess saw the band arrive fully-formed, and in the brief two months or so since a debut single – their paean to Meghan Markle, “Magic of Meghan” – landed, the band have seen significant international press and radio support, including a 7.8 for the EP at Pitchfork and playlisting at BBC 6 Music. Additionally, Stereogum has named them a Band to Watch today, check out the interview here.

The band have also announced an EP launch show at The Lexington on October 23rd and released “Sit Down Meal,” the first single from the release. 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 realized 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 seek to expand the palette of their sound without nagging the simplicity and directness of their songwriting.

While there are currently only UK shows on the schedule, the band plans to make their US debut soon.

DRY CLEANING TOUR DATES: Oct. 17th – Dublin, IE @ Workman’s Club Oct. 19th – Bristol @ Simple Things Festival Oct. 20th – Cardiff @ SWN Festival Oct. 23rd – London @ The Lexington Nov. 23rd – Glasgow @ Great Western Festival Nov. 24th – Sheffield @ Picture House Social

BOUNDARY ROAD SNACKS AND DRINKS EP TRACK LISTING: 1. Dog Proposal 2. Viking Hair 3. Spoils 4. Jam After School 5. Sombre One 6. Sit Down Meal

Dry Cleaning online: https://drycleaning.bandcamp.com/ https://www.instagram.com/drycleaningband/ https://www.facebook.com/drycleaningband/ https://pitchperfectpr.com/dry-cleaning/

Keep your mind open.

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