London’s post-punks par excellence Dry Cleaning have recently signed to 4AD, with a debut album projected for early next year, but today they have delivered their frist single for the label, “Scratchcard Lanyard”. Introducing the song, they say:
“In the search for your true calling in life, it’s easy to try so many things that you end up confused. It can lead to an enormous build-up of frustration. You may fantasise about exacting revenge upon your real or imagined enemies. Ephemeral things and small-scale escapist experiences can provide some relief!”
Florence Shaw’s trademark disaffection is once again a bemused sledgehammer of brilliance on “Scratchcard Lanyard”, as she takes us on a whirlwind tour of failed attempts to find something meaningful. Whether it’s joining a knitting circle, travelling the world, making ceramic shoes, or trying a zillion other diverse activities, it’s not getting through – “do everything / feel nothing,” she summarises. “I think of myself as a hardy banana with that waxy surface and smooth delicate flowers / a woman in aviators firing a bazooka,” she declares – no wonder she can’t find her calling. The rest of the quartet provide crackling, spiky and propulsive post punk, as ever the perfect foil for Shaw’s own dizziness.
The video for “Scratchcard Lanyard” was created by James Theseus Buck and Luke Brooks, aka Rottingdean Bazaar, and finds Shaw’s face singing in a tiny model nightclub. Check it out below.
With news surely just around the corner about Dry Cleaning’s debut album, make sure to follow them on Bandcamp, Facebook and Instagram.
