London Band Dry Cleaning Announce Debut Album

The London-based art-rock quartet Dry Cleaning have announced their full-length debut, New Long Leg, out via 4AD on April 2nd.

Last spring, Dry Cleaning capitalized on the buzz generated by their brilliantly offbeat 2019 EPs Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks and Sweet Princess with a tour of U.S. clubs that was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. Afterward, they went home to the U.K. and got to work on their first full album, with longtime PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish in the producer’s chair.

“It’s not just sheer pent-up energy all the time in the way that the first two EPs were,” lead vocalist Florence Shaw says in a statement. “I feel more confident with leaving gaps.”

Dry Cleaning’s other members are drummer Nick Buxton, guitarist Tom Dowse, and bass player Lewis Maynard. Their early EPs showed a striking ear for killer post-punk riffs and surreal humor, as heard on songs like 2019’s “Magic of Meghan” (written in tribute to Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex).

“The title is ambiguous,” Shaw’s statement on the new LP adds. “A new long leg could be an expensive present or a growth or a table repair.”

“Scratchcard Lanyard,” the first single from New Long Leg, was recently named a Song You Need to Know. The band has also released a video for the new single “Strong Feelings,” which features an ominously thudding bassline and lyrics about hot dogs.