Dry Cleaning - Secret Love

Where 2021 debut ‘New Long Leg’ was Dry Cleaning establishing themselves and 2022 follow-up ‘Stumpwork’ was them refining their sound, this third effort ‘Secret Love’ finds the outfit taking a suitable side-step, to find a sweet spot between the familiar and the new. It wouldn’t be Dry Cleaning without the deadpan delivery of Florence Shaw - and her often stream-of-consciousness lyrical turns - and ultimately the record’s appeal is, naturally, determined by one’s preexisting regard for this and the wiry post-punk sounds over which she vocally meanders. But, for those with such predilections, the band opting for Cate Le Bon to take on production duties offers an - if not fresh, then comfortably renewed - extra layer to dive into.

This is heard most directly in not-quite title track ‘Secret Love (Concealed In A Drawing Of A Boy)’, with its soft guitar repetition and sprightly, more sing-song-like vocal cadence, and ‘Blood’, its hints of dreamy, ‘60s-esque pop bubbling under a drum beat placed high in the mix so as to echo a panicked heart beat. (Here, Florence’s voice is also whisperingly close, in an either intimate or creepy ASMR-like manner). Closer ‘Joy’, if less directly, echoes the peppy indie pop of Cate’s own work, its title apt as it concludes the record in an abrupt yet pleasant way. Then there’s ‘The Cute Things’, a surprisingly maximalist offering where there’s a fresh bounce to Florence’s otherwise familiar sprechgesang, and a hint of Americana that’s wholly curious until one spots a certain Jeff Tweedy on the song’s credit list.


And still, among this subtle variety of sounds, the core of what makes Dry Cleaning themselves remains: “Cruises are big business / I don’t personally like them / But I need to serve a useful purpose”, Florence muses on ‘Cruise Ship Designer’, expressing the titular protagonist being entirely passionless about their role. As most would hope, there’s time for the mundane and the ridiculous: “New York has been pretty good / We have a couple of days left and as yet I have seen no one famous,” notes ‘Secret Love (Concealed In A Drawing Of A Boy)’; ‘I Need You’ offers “I’m waiting inside a talcum powder box / For you to lift the lid and discover me”; while ‘The Cute Things’ presents both (“I admire you and your family vibe / And I’m sorry that you got attacked by a dog”; “Playing drums / Big boxy hair fills the frame / For you, a true melon”). It’s not a record likely to shift anyone’s needle on Dry Cleaning, but for those on the fonder side, it’s a whole new set of treats to explore.