London-based post-punk luminaries Dry Cleaning have released Secret Love (Deluxe Edition), expanding their critically acclaimed third album with three brand-new tracks recorded during their original sessions with producer Cate Le Bon. The collection is available now via 4AD, featuring the newly minted songs “Grass,” “I Have The Key,” and the recent single “Sliced by a Fingernail.”
Originally released at the start of 2026, Secret Love saw the four-piece skirt their typical sharp, abrasive edges in favour of a dreamy, spacious landscape of surrealism. The new deluxe edition builds on that universe, repackaged with alternative cover art by Canadian artist Erica Eyres.
Bassist Lewis Maynard reflects on the band’s decision to open up their vault:
“As difficult as it is to choose the final tracklist, we’ve learned with previous records that songs which don’t make the album will see the light of day and sometimes even receive more attention. This is the first time we’ve released a deluxe edition, and we’re especially excited because it includes some of our favourite songs from the session.”
The three unreleased tracks find frontwoman Florence Shaw in an exceptionally raw, vulnerable state, contrasting heavy socio-political grief with her trademark deadpan humour.
On the delicate track “Sliced by a Fingernail,” Shaw explores the domestic desire to escape, describing it as “looking for places to hide; fantasies like packing yourself into the centre of a huge flower bud, but also more everyday ones like being part of the crowd at a karaoke bar.”
“Grass” addresses the unique pain of grieving someone who is still alive, pulling environmental metaphors from Shaw’s travels to the melting Rhône Glacier in Switzerland and the ancient Madeira forests. Meanwhile, the haunting “I Have The Key” directly confronts global tragedy, featuring a striking, improvised saxophone part by Bruce Lamont, recorded at Chicago’s Loft studio. Shaw reveals:
“The lyrics to ‘I Have The Key’ came from a feeling of sadness and helplessness at the state of the world. The genocide in Gaza had begun around the time I was writing some of the lyrics… the structure and delivery of the vocal, as well as the choice of words came as a response to [Lamont’s] playing.”
To accompany the release, the band once again partnered with the movement duo BULLYACHE, who previously choreographed visualizers for all 11 of the album’s original tracks. The three new visualizers, shot at London’s luxury Mandrake Hotel, star dancers Nicole Nevitt and Sam Dilke as physical manifestations of the tracks’ internal frictions.
Having already toured North America, Europe, and Australasia this year, Dry Cleaning will spend the coming months taking their mesmerising live show to South America alongside a string of European festival appearances, including slots at Green Man, Rock en Seine, Latitude, and Sonic City.
