Dry Cleaning In session – X-Posure With John Kennedy – Radio X – August 13, 2021 – Radio X
Dry Cleaning in session tonight. Recorded (as they put it) in isolation for Radio X in London and broadcast on August 13th 2021.
Formed in 2018, they were just getting their act together; signed to 4AD, a debut single and debut album, New Long Leg, out now. Just in time to come out of lockdown and pick up where they left off before they were so rudely interrupted by the Pandemic.
In 2024, 4AD re-released a compilation of their first two EPs, and the band, having previously been unable to tour in support of the original release due to the COVID-19 pandemic, decided to continue touring. Regarding this period, Dowse later said “It was quite appealing actually, because we could go back to playing slightly smaller venues, play as a four-piece, and just rock out a bit.” For a brief period in the summer, they began to write material back home in Peckham, London for a new album before returning on tour. At this point, they were often playing in stadiums as the opener for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
In June 2025, it was revealed that Dry Cleaning had been recording their third studio album with Welsh producer Cate Le Bon in France. During the recording process, Le Bon noted: “I’m really enjoying being here and being really present. The band just keep revealing themselves to be more and more lovely.”Shaw told the magazine Uncut that they had met Le Bon in 2022 while she was recording with Wilco for their album Cousin. Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy had originally invited the group to visit his studio, The Loft, after Dry Cleaning performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. After a number of sessions in Chicago, London, and Dublin—the latter with members of the Gilla Band—they finished recording the album with Le Bon at Black Box Studios in the Loire Valley, France.
The album, entitled Secret Love, was announced in late September 2025 with lead single “Hit My Head All Day” and was released on 9 January 2026. In promotion, they commissioned Bullyache to choreograph music videos for every song. Musically, the band continued to expand upon their sound, with Shaw often singing rather than speaking for the choruses.
