Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork

4AD

Dry Cleaning return with the sophomore project that many have been waiting for - it didn't take long, the wait was just 18 months, but the name 'Dry Cleaning' has been on the lips of music fans ever since the release of the debut. The position that they fill in the contemporary scene is well and truly theirs with little to no other act bringing the same sort of downcast ferocity.

There aren't many new things that have been introduced to the mix to instill a sense of sea change, bus something of an atmospheric tinge has been adopted - less direct and more observant of itself. There's less of a rush to make it somewhere - we'll get to where we're going, in our own time. 'New Long Leg' pushed on this ethos to a degree, but not to the severity of Stumpwork. Some may find it frustrating, however it feels natural. Like a stream that drip drip drips with overflow, the banks are full and will spill over in due time. Patience is key. That's a terrible analogy, but I think you get the point. Wait out the meandering malaise and see how it relates to the wider view. Stand back and gain perspective. It's quite a broad project. Slow-strolling with bouts of all-inspired scenery on the long-haul.

The somber bob of a Dry Cleaning track comes courtesy of Lewis Maynard and Nick Buxton's rhythmic partnership. Their one-step-at-a-time approach to rhythm makes for a float-y experience. Interesting guitarwork courtesy of Tom Dowse sets flames to the subdued mood - he's quickly becoming a fervent figure on the indie scene. The dynamics at hand here are some of the most intriguing in contemporary music. The quirks and corners that he explores are of incandescent flavour - idiosyncratic and undeniably Dry Cleaning. Crawling through the collective British psyche one phrase at a time Florence Shaw undergoes a therapeutic and trance-like scripture. Smoke bellows out from beneath Shaw's scrapbook read-through style with alarming effect. It feels like the scrapbook has been thrown on hot coals and is becoming charred one page at a time.

I'm not necessarily sure how much more life is in the Dry Cleaning aesthetic, there will come a point where branching out is a must, but for now it's a treat. And a refreshing one at that.