Dry Cleaning are a unicorn act that make no sense on paper… just try describing them in a few words: spoken deadpan musings set to music? But right from their 2018 self-released debut EP Sweet Princess, Dry Cleaning have made many folks who dared to give them a try into devout converts to their unconventional music.
With each release, it is hard to imagine this English outfit can still remain fresh, given that its very peculiar style—frontwoman Florence Shaw’s deadpan spoken-word vocal delivery with its gauche rawness backed by noisy guitar music—is very limiting. But here they are, three albums in and sounding as fresh as ever.
Those acquainted with Dry Cleaning’s previous work would find Secret Love’s sound very familiar. But things are a bit different, too. Notably, the band’s sound has become more polished. As well, it subtly seeks new and varied inspirations.
This is made evident by them from the get-go on the six-minute album opener “Hit My Head All Day,” with its drum machine-led disco vibe backed by Talking Heads-inspired bongos, smooth flowy guitars, and ambient synth effects. Deeper in the album, “Secret Love (Concealed In A Drawing Of A Boy)” has a Kid A-esque surreal music part, creating an interesting contrast to its bucolic Seventies folk chorus.
Shaw’s words, as usual, are ever so quirky and entertaining, like on “Cruise Ship Designer” where she designs cruises, as “cruises are big business” and she is “striking while the iron is hot” and on “Evil Evil Idiot,” where she speaks at length about food that is “scorched,” “carbonized,” and “burnt.”
Dry Cleaning love to double down on their quirky image, as seen on this record’s strange cover or its predecessor Stumpwork’s disgusting one. However, they are not only one of the most unique musical outfits you have ever heard, but also one of the most noteworthy and creative ones. On Secret Love, they uphold their weirdness, but rather than letting it define them, they use it to make some of today’s most boldly original and compelling music.