Cloth in session for a Friday night. Recorded at BBC 6 Music, September 2019.
Cloth, the Glasgow trio – made up of twin siblings Rachael and Paul Swinton and Clare Gallacher – have a knack for being simultaneously dynamic and intimate. Soft vocals, gritty guitars and abstract rhythms pepper across their previous 2023 album ‘Secret Measure’, released on Mogwai’s Rock Action label, which rightly gained critical acclaim for its distinct strain of gently addictive guitar pop. Now at their third outing ‘Pink Silence’, the formula remains much the same. But with a few extra creative minds in the mix this time round, Cloth’s latest music flourishes all the more.
Named a ‘Tip For 2020’ by BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, in 2019 the band have performed live sessions for the likes of Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 Music, Vic Galloway on BBC Radio Scotland, and appeared on the BBC Music Introducing Stage at Latitude Festival. After recording a live BBC Music Introducing session at the iconic BBC Maida Vale Studios in September 2019, Cloth released their highly anticipated self-titled debut album on Last Night From Glasgow on November 15th 2019.
Pink Silence. The new album by Cloth. Out now.
Produced by Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey, Yard Act), Pink Silence comes after the band shared 2024 single ‘Polaroid’, their first new music since the release of their acclaimed and Scottish Album Of The Year Award nominated 2023 album for Rock Action, Secret Measure .
The pair’s feather-light approach and intrinsic quiet drama remain fundamentals of the Cloth sound on Pink Silence. A daring rhythmic streak combined with the patience and restraint to let the space in their music do the talking persists, however with producer Ali Chant at the helm – and with a cast of collaborators that includes Portishead’s Adrian Utley, Owen Pallett, and Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite – their exemplary guitar interplay is adorned with synth flourishes, undulating drone textures, and soaring strings. Together, the group’s intentional subtlety is elevated to lofty new heights as songs unfold and bloom, becoming rich, complex and emotional.
Pink Silence is the sound of Cloth realizing the growing pop streak that they’ve long-threatened to bring to the fore, full of the kind of rewarding ruminations that continue to make them one of today’s most exciting bands.
Okay – Friday night – dive in.
