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It is difficult to describe South London-based post-punk quartet Dry Cleaning without falling into cliché. One might be inclined to compare lead vocalist Florence Shaw's deep voice and spoken word style to someone like Courtney Barnett or Cate Blanchett. Some refer to Shaw’s previous job as a university lecturer to explain the tidiness of her stage presence. One might allude to the band’s clean, driving basslines, their stream of consciousness lyricism, or their technical proficiency as a group. What I will settle on, and what I only realized at the very end of their set, was that I had spent all two hours of my time supposedly reviewing Dry Cleaning’s concert dancing, with not a single note taken.

Photo Credit: ZaneBurkoMedia

The city towered beneath the cold weather in the midst of May–an unfortunate but regular occurrence during the Montreal spring. Yet, splatters of an unspoken but mandatory tartan, red and blue painted the streets, brightening the ordinarily bleak sidewalk of rue Sainte-Catherine in preparation for UK singer-songwriter and producer PinkPantheress. Shivering hands gripped onto umbrellas in line, awaiting the OK to be welcomed into the contrasting heat of the Theatre L’Olympia and to rush to secure their barricade spots. 

Past Tense host Ari speaks with Tim Biziaev of Lovelet in advance of the release of Lovelet's second full-length album, Freedom River Float, coming May 7th. In Tim's backyard, they discuss cross-country touring, the new album's recording process, and the meeting of country compilations with meditation cassettes.

Lovelet plays May 7th at Hemisphere Gauche alongside Taupe and Mitch Davis.

Listen to Lovelet here