Spectreview: Dry Cleaning – Boundary Road Drinks and Snacks

-ELECTRIC INDIGO-

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“You’re nothing but a fragrance to me now”

The second of two introductory EPs released this year by London post-punk band Dry Cleaning, Boundary Road Drinks and Snacks takes every opportunity to zag when it should zig, at least within the confines of the genre. The main draw, besides the band’s appealingly loose playing, remains lead vocalist Florence Shaw and her sparkling, Siri-like recitations. Spoken word can fail miserably without the right concoction of words and delivery, but Shaw deftly avoids the obvious pitfalls and once again proves herself a magnetic presence. Despite now decades of documented post-punk triumphs, “Dog Proposal” carries a poignancy that feels of the current moment. Opening with a melodic, wordless vocal refrain that wisely wavers off key to up the cool factor, Shaw appears in constant motion and akin to a living representation of a Twitter feed, spitting non-sequiturs and nihilistic mic-drops while straddling the line between performative nonchalance and honest desperation. The track is an apt representation of what Boundary Road Drinks and Snacks has to offer in general: rock solid, mostly mid-tempo post-punk songs that double as beautifully grimy magnifications of life’s banalities. “Viking Hair” barrels across the road under Shaw’s bemusement, while heavy no-shaker “Spoils” bears the EP’s most monstrous hook, gaining its power via space and coordination. It’s possible this approach may overstay its welcome come LP time, but for right now there’s no chaff, as the record takes a meditative dip into melancholy waters (“Sombre One”), with a consequent kiss-off to a dead romance (“Sit Down Meal”). Besides the added jolts of vocal melody, Boundary Road Drinks and Snacks is as eloquently scatterbrained and stylishly constructed as Sweet Princess, effectively raising the hype for a transcendent full-release.

Recommended for ignoring people on walks.