While the world shouts, Dry Cleaning make an album about trust
Dry Cleaning return with “Secret Love” on January 9ththeir third studio album, produced by Cate Le Bon. “Secret Love” is precisely the expression of the profound friendship between the singer Florence Shawthe guitarist Tom Dowsethe drummer Nick Buxton and the bass player Lewis Maynarda feeling that gave birth to Dry Cleaning. The album is placed in the rock world, but is steeped in the American punk and hardcore paranoia of the early 80s, as can be understood from the cover. Florence’s voice, meticulously calibrated to the soundscapes of her bandmates, instead stands in the tradition of artists spoken word ranging from Laurie Anderson to Sue Tompkins by Life Without Buildings. The result is a crooked album, chasing a light.
The sequel to “Stumpwork” was born in the rehearsal room in Peckhamand then evolved with sessions at Jeff Tweedy’s Loft studio in Chicago, sessions with Alan Duggan and Daniel Fox of the Gilla Band at Sonic Studios in Dublin, and finally with Cate Le Bon at Black Box in the Loire Valley. After thinking about several potential manufacturers, they chose Cate, who has also made albums for Deerhunter, Devendra Banhart, Wilco and Horsegirl, for her outspoken positivity and open-mindedness. “Being together in a room you can feel that vitality and strength that exists between them that is truly unique,” says Cate Le Bon.
Trust is the guiding theme of “Secret Love”, and also emerges in the album’s opening track, “Hit My Head All Day”, which talks about “manipulation of the body and mind”. The text was initially inspired by the use of misinformation on social media. “There are powerful people trying to influence our behavior for their own benefit, to induce us to buy certain products or vote in a certain way. I find it difficult to interpret people’s intentions and decide who to trust, even in everyday life. It is easy to fall under the influence of a sinister stranger who seems like a friend,” Le Bon continued.
