It’s been a breakout year for London quartet Dry Cleaning, whom Paste tapped as the Best of What’s Next in April, when their debut album New Long Leg was released via 4AD. The acclaimed LP, featuring singles “Scratchcard Lanyard,” “Strong Feelings” and “Unsmart Lady,” appeared on numerous mid-year best albums lists, Paste’s included. Now, ahead of their world tour, the band is sharing a new, one-off double A-side single—recorded during the New Long Leg sessions at Rockfield Studios in July and August 2020, and previously available exclusively via the album’s expanded Japanese edition—titled “Bug Eggs” b/w “Tony Speaks!”
“Bug Eggs” is slow and steady, with Tom Dowse’s warped guitars swaying above Nick Buxton and Lewis Maynard’s deceptively lively low end, and synths making a rare appearance between verses. What stands out the most are vocalist Florence Shaw’s uncharacteristically straightforward lyrics: She considers how she’s grown into herself with mild-mannered candor, sing-speaking, “I am not as fresh faced as I used to be / But what I’ve lost in that area / I’ve gained in confidence / And dress sense / And other things.”
“Tony Speaks!,” meanwhile, is built around a dark Dowse riff and muted Buxton percussion, setting a spare and doomy tone to match Shaw’s visions of environmental destruction at the hands of humankind: “I’m just sad about the collapse of heavy industry / I’ll be alright in a bit,” she deadpans, describing being “buried under coal pieces” before later reflecting, “I always thought of nature as something dead and uninviting / Wet empty trees / But there used to be a lot more of it.”
“‘Bug Eggs’ is about the confidence that comes with age, fragility and sexual desire,” says Shaw of the new tunes in a statement. “The lyrics to ‘Tony Speaks!’ were written days after the Conservative party won the December 2019 UK election. I was thinking about climate change, environmental catastrophes and political campaigning.”
Listen to “Bug Eggs” b/w “Tony Speaks!” below, and see Dry Cleaning’s tour itinerary further down. You can revisit our Best of What’s Next interview with the band right here.
Dry Cleaning Tour Dates:
November
10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram – SOLD OUT
11 – San Francisco, CA @ Chapel – SOLD OUT
13 – Portland, OR @ Vitalidad – SOLD OUT
14 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile – SOLD OUT
16-17 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT
19-20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT
January 2022
19 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie *
20 – Lyron, FR @ Le Périscope *
21 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Magnolia *
22 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club *
24 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea *
25 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum *
26 – Berlin, DE @ Zukunft am Ostkreuz *
28 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen *
29 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow *
31 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje *
February 2022
01 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie, Botanique *
02 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord *
04 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown *
05 – Tourcoing (Lille), FR @ Le Grand Mix *
14 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club Theatre %
15 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory – SOLD OUT %
16 – Belfast, IE @ Empire Music Hall %
18 – Edinburgh, UK @ Summerhall (Venue upgrade) – SOLD OUT %
19 – Glasgow, UK @, Queen Margaret Union (Venue upgrade) %
20 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
22 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill %
23 – Bristol, UK @ SWX %
25 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2 %
26 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill %
27 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms %
March 2022
1 – Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms %
2 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 %
3 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town %
(* = w/ Maria Somerville)
(% = w/ PVA)
