Description
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Bearing the fruits of their collaborative efforts with the acclaimed Cate Le Bon, Dry Cleaning, a London-based post-punk band, unraveled their third and most outstanding album, “Secret Love,” in 2025. Undoubtedly, this masterpiece beautifully blends the band’s key strengths, creating a uniquely appealing sonic experience that far overshadows their previous 2022 offering, “Stumpwork”.
Dry Cleaning’s origin is rooted in South London circa 2017, with a lineup consisting of the talented Florence Shaw handling vocals, Tom Dowse as the guitarist, Lewis Maynard managing the bass guitar, and Nick Buxton behind the drums. This English post-punk band quickly earned a reputation for their inventive approach to lyrics and vocalization, fusing spoken-word and music in a manner reminiscent of the distinct styles of renowned past bands like Wire, Magazine, Joy Division, and even with a hint of Annette Peacock’s influence. Much like Siouxsie and the Banshees, they drew their listeners in with an unconventional yet undeniably catchy musical and lyrical style.
Shaw’s vocal prowess comes to the forefront in “Secret Love”. From the introductory track “Hit My Head All Day”, her captivating semi-singing, punctuated by the erratic progression of Dowse’s guitar-shredding, Buxton’s punk-funk drumbeats, and Maynard’s bass grooves, firmly sets the tone for the recording. Their music weaves a fascinating foundation that supports the often-logically-disjointed but attractively introspective musing of Shaw. On the standout track “Cruise Ship Designer”, Shaw’s seemingly nonsensical retelling of capitalizing on the cruise industry’s success superbly underscores the band’s prowess at using music to comment on society’s issues.
The band decided to take their musicianship a notch further in late 2025. Decamping to the French region of Loire Valley, they engaged with producer Cate Le Bon, who augmented their sound, deepening its moodiness and grit. The result was a precedent-setting display of how their individual contributions could weave into a singular, compelling musical narrative in ‘Secret Love’. It’s noteworthy how the ensemble stretches beyond the accustomed territory mapped out in the band’s earlier recordings like ‘New Long Leg'(2021) or ‘Stumpwork'(2022).
Florence Shaw’s peculiar choice of words and their delivery parallels with How Hanne Lippard engages her audience uniquely. Shaw’s method of deadpanning lyrics on tracks like ‘Let Me Grow and You’ll See The Fruit’ leaves listeners with a sense of curiosity. The track ‘Evil Evil Idiot’ is another fine instance of her distinct articulation, providing a wonderful contrast to the band’s snarling accompaniment. The band’s intentionally raw edge to their music serves as the backdrop to Shaw’s jarring narrative, creating an intriguing dichotomy that is as captivating as it is unexpected.
Ultimately, Dry Cleaning’s ‘Secret Love’ emerges as a pastiche of the band’s eccentric lyrics and soundscape, setting new standards for post-punk music in the process. The album’s release in January 2026 signifies the band’s continuous growth and commitment to the dislocated storytelling that has become their signature. It’s an enthralling voyage into the depths of their creativity, underlining shades of influences from other outstanding artists of their genre, including Siouxsie Sioux and Annette Peacock. Amid the panorama of contemporary music, Dry Cleaning’s offering in ‘Secret Love’ proposes an invigorating sonic experience.
