Dry Cleaning

Formed in south London at the end of the 2010s, Dry Cleaning brings together Florence Shaw on spoken vocals, Tom Dowse on guitar, Lewis Maynard on bass and Nick Buxton on drums in a post‑punk quartet with minimalist contours. Initially an instrumental project, the band took shape when Shaw's detached voice was added; her lyrics are drawn from fragments of conversations, adverts or online messages. Between taut rock, new wave influences and noise touches, Dry Cleaning's sound rests on repetitive rhythms, angular guitars and an almost monotone vocal delivery that leaves ample space for the words. After two 2019 EPs, Sweet Princess and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks, Dry Cleaning recorded the album New Long Leg with producer John Parish, released in 2021, marked by stretched structures and a more direct focus on textures. In 2022 the band extended this approach with Stumpwork, again recorded with Parish, which accentuates the contrasts between slow grooves, discreet melodic motifs and fragmented narration. Present on British, European and North American stages, Dry Cleaning belongs to a generation of bands that revisit post‑punk by playing with distance, everyday observation and a highly scripted use of speech.