Photo by Shervin Lainez
In the ever-shifting landscape of modern music, Dry Cleaning has always operated like a high-resolution lens focused on the mundane. Since their 2017 formation in South London, the band (comprised of guitarist Tom Dowse, bassist Lewis Maynard, drummer Nick Buxton, and vocalist Florence Shaw), has transformed the grit of everyday life into something profoundly poetic. While their earlier work felt like a series of vivid, surrealist snapshots of the city, their latest album, ‘Secret Love’ (4AD), sees the group move from the purely observational to the elemental. It is a sprawling, thought-provoking study in vulnerability, trust, and the physical spaces that shape our inner lives.
The origin of Dry Cleaning is as understated as their music. The instrumental core were long-time friends who had played in various hardcore and noisy punk groups, initially coming together “just for fun” in the cramped garage of Maynard’s mother. The band’s identity crystallized when Shaw, a university lecturer and visual artist with no prior musical experience, joined as vocalist. This foundational bond remains their North Star, anchoring a record that Maynard notes was deeply shaped by their surroundings: “We realized while writing the previous two records how much we are influenced by the room we are in. We wanted to expand on this and see how much different rooms would also change how we recorded.”
Central to this evolution is Shaw’s shifting vocal presence. If her earlier delivery was a shield of deadpan abstraction, ‘Secret Love’ finds her exploring a “good” vulnerability. On the title track, Shaw breaks her own mold, moving away from the deadpan style of their earlier work. “Perhaps ‘Secret Love (Concealed in a Drawing of a Boy),’ is a good example of something like that,” she notes. “I’m in my composed mode in the verses but in the choruses I’m singing in a way I haven’t before and I felt very vulnerable doing that.”
This isn’t just a performance; it’s a philosophical shift. In the past, her lyrics often felt like a surrealist collage of overheard snatches, but on tracks like “Blood” and “Joy,” the messages feel more direct and urgent. When asked if she was resisting the urge to “hide” behind abstraction, Shaw’s response is revealing. “Hiding sounds too active to me now,” she explains. “I’m beginning to think that making lateral moves and such is actually pretty revealing about who I am/how I think. On ‘Secret Love’ I’ve tried to write in a more ‘concise’ way a couple of times as an experiment and to reflect a few overwhelming singular preoccupations that I had. I’m not sure that those lyrics are more revealing, truly though.”
For Shaw, the boundary between the external world and her internal diary is porous. “I actually don’t consider those two things to be that different,” she says. “There was a time when found text and overheard things really excited me, I couldn’t stop noticing them. And when I zoned in on those things, it was usually because I identified with them. The way I see it is, when I’m writing I don’t feel a huge amount of difference between closely observing the signals inside myself or very closely observing other people talking or the signs they write.”
Photo by Max Miechowski
This sense of identity extends to the various personas she adopts, from the delusional entrepreneur to the influencer in “Evil Evil Idiot.” Rather than viewing these characters with cynical distance, Shaw approaches them as mirrors of the self. “Those characters represent parts of me,” she says. “And I hope it’s possible for people to relate to the songs in that way too. I don’t ever feel like I have answers, or warnings to offer per se, but I am happy to share parts of my working out.”
Musically, the record is a testament to the physical architecture of the rooms in which it was forged. The journey traveled from the “jazz room” of London’s Fish Factory to the nurturing atmosphere of Jeff Tweedy’s Loft in Chicago, and finally to the “explosive” energy of Sonic Recording Studio in Dublin. Maynard recalls the physical toll of the Irish sessions: “This wasn’t a planned part of the experiment, but Sonic Recording Studio was maybe the coldest room I have ever played bass in, let alone recorded. The amount of layers we were all wearing definitely would have changed how we played.” This environmental friction helped birth an urgent sonic character, aided by Daniel Fox and Alan Duggan. “Daniel and Alan have such incredible ears for sound, and they had a load of great equipment which we continue to use,” Maynard adds. “We actually showed up at their studio with barely any of our own gear and have definitely bought a couple of bits we used there since, the Onward pedal by Chase Bliss is a good example of this.”
The band’s palette has also expanded to include a funk-adjacent pocket on “Hit My Head All Day,” inspired by Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘There’s a Riot Goin’ On’ (Epic Records, 1971). Maynard sees Shaw’s voice as the constant that allows for such stylistic exploration. “Florence’s vocal is such a great anchor for Dry Cleaning, it really allows us to move in quite different directions but to always sound like us,” he explains. “With ‘Hit My Head All Day’ it’s a sound or a groove which we have played with quite a bit while jamming but never really clicked into a song until now. It’s such a broad term, when I think of post punk I think of artists like Grace Jones or PiL and that dub/funk cross over.”
Ultimately, ‘Secret Love’ succeeds because of a radical, collective lack of ego. Their creative method relies on uninhibited jam sessions where a concept’s value is determined entirely by its ability to resonate. “So much of the writing process comes from listening,” Maynard explains. “We jam a lot, quite free jams where there is no goal and people pick up all different kinds of instruments. As a result, what is picked is usually down to what communicates well, what we would like to listen to. It breaks the ego of the idea and is judged on what works.”
In an era defined by misinformation and manipulation, the band views their collaboration as the ultimate sanctuary of certainty. Maynard describes trust as the bedrock of their longevity: “Trust is such one of my favorite parts of the band. It improves every element of the band from touring to recording. It’s extremely freeing and exciting while writing, you never know where an idea is going to come from or how it will evolve. Trust allows you to not only develop an idea but also to notice when there is one there.” In doing so, Dry Cleaning has created a record that feels both universal and intensely private; a shared confidence whispered in a crowded room.
For more information, please visit Dry Cleaning | 4AD | Bandcamp.
Much appreciation to Jacob Daneman at Pitch Perfect PR for seeing this one through and to Florence and Lewis for their candid responses.
2026 Tour Dates
Europe and UK Leg
April 7: Berlin, Germany – Festsaal Kreuzberg
April 9: Copenhagen, Denmark – VEGA
April 10: Hamburg, Germany – Mojo Club
April 11: Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg
April 13: Bruxelles, Belgium – Box Brussels
April 14: Paris, France – Le Trianon
April 17: Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
April 18: Limerick City, Ireland – Dolans Warehouse
April 20: Cardiff, UK – Tramshed
April 21: Birmingham, UK – XOYO Birmingham
April 22: London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton
April 24: Glasgow, UK – SWG3
April 25: Manchester, UK – New Century Hall
Rescheduled North American Leg
April 30: Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall (Sold Out)
May 1: Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
May 2: Montreal, QC – Les Foufounes Électriques
May 3: Hudson, NY – Basilica Hudson
May 5: Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
May 6: Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
May 7: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
May 8: Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
May 10: Nashville, TN – The Basement East
May 11: St. Louis, MO – The Duck Room
May 12: Omaha, NE – Slowdown
May 13: Denver, CO – Meow Wolf Denver
May 15: Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party
May 16: Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club
May 17: Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
May 18: Seattle, WA – The Showbox
May 20: San Francisco, CA – August Hall
May 21: Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
May 22: San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Australasia & Festivals
May 28: Woolloongabba, Australia – The Princess Theatre
May 29: Sydney, Australia – Sydney Opera House
May 30: Melbourne, Australia – Forum Melbourne
June 2: Wellington, New Zealand – Meow NUI
June 3: Auckland, New Zealand – The Hollywood Avondale
June 6: Fremantle, Australia – The Naval Store
June 7: Ballarat Central, Australia – Ballarat Civic Hall
June 11: Georgetown, Australia – Dark Mofo Festival
June 22-24: Zagreb, Croatia – INmusic Festival
July 3: Kraggenburg, Netherlands – Wilde Weide
July 10-12: Brugge, Belgium – Cactus Festival
July 23-26: Southwold, UK – Latitude Festival
July 31: Portlaw, Ireland – All Together Now
August 6-9: Castelbuono, Italy – Ypsigrock Festival
August 20-23: Crickhowell, UK – Green Man Festival
August 30: Saint-Cloud, France – Rock en Seine
