Photo by Guy Bolongaro

“No Decent Shoes for Rain” is Dry Cleaning at their most utmost deflated feeling. This is not to say the latest preview from the London experimental post-punk band’s sophomore effort, Stumpwork, is an underwhelming performance by any means. In fact, it’s actually enhanced by realistically capturing energy being depleted fully, between vocalist Florence Shaw’s super shrugged indifference and the off-kilter tunings of guitars creating a woozing sensation that doesn’t care to find a direction as long as grief has sunken its way into frame. “Can you describe the picture with me? / What are all these men carrying? / What is this toxic sludge? / I don’t know,” she wonders, but not really. It’s just whatever, at its most astute observation.

Dry Cleaning’s Stumpwork will be released October 21st on 4AD.