“Anna Calls From The Arctic” is a slow plodding daydream that follows a similar vein to their first album’s track “Leafy”, utilising pensive musings of muted synths and Florence Shaw’s haunting brand of oblique ASMR. Here we see Dry cleaning luring you into hypnotic introspection, and it feels pretty nice.

Check out the “Anna Calls From The Arctic” in the video below:

Discussing the new song, Dry Cleaning said; “The lyrics were partly inspired by phone calls with a friend who was living and working in the Arctic. The song developed from a keyboard, bass and clarinet jam. This then took shape during our pre-recording sessions with John Parish and Joe Jones in Bristol and finalised at Rockfield studios a month later, with some musical inspiration coming from the dramatic scores of John Barry. The song is observational and sensual.”

Recently, Dry Cleaning had a chance to reflect on being hand-picked by Grace Jones herself for her curated edition of Meltdown. Bassist Lewis Maynard stated; “We were at a festival when we got told. Our booking agent was like, ‘Right, you want to sit down for this one’ and told us all together. Some of us felt sick because of it.”

“She’s such a hero,” Nick Buxton (drummer) added. “We love all of those Compass Point records, and especially with Trevor Horn. She’s had such an amazing career.”

Shaw went on to say; “I think the control she has over her own image generally is very inspiring, she’s really the queen of wrestling the narrative about herself, and the choices she makes, back from the press or from other people. She’s amazing at that.

The forthcoming album Stumpwork will see the band team up with producer John Parish, who has worked alongside the likes of Eels and PJ Harvey. Guitarist John Dowse said of Stumpwork; “I think there’s more space in it, When you do the first one, every take you do you’re anxious, like, ‘This has to be the one’. When you do the second [album], you realise it doesn’t have to be the one – you just do your thing and then try something. Sometimes it gets on [the album], sometimes it doesn’t. I guess you just put yourself under a bit less pressure, and that made a big difference.”

Alongside Dry Cleaning, psychedelic R’n’B sensation Greentea Peng will take the stage this year, as well as other dazzling additions such as cktrl in a one-off show with the London Contemporary Orchestra, DJ Josey Rebel and Alewya (former Little Simz collaborator).

NEW ACTS ANNOUNCED for @GraceJones‘ Meltdown! #MeltdownFest takes over the Southbank Centre site from 10 – 19 June 2022…

Members On-Sale | Thur 10 Mar
General On-Sale | Fri 11 Mar

Announcement Blog: https://t.co/QqEUv1yL9B
All Events: https://t.co/ArTS0PzLWp (1/4) pic.twitter.com/qGD6NCrV7a

— Meltdown Festival (@meltdownfest) March 7, 2022

The Southbank Centre’s Artistic Director Mark Ball said of the latest fixtures; “Alongside the fantastic artists already announced for Grace Jones’ Meltdown, we’re delighted that Grace has now put the finishing touches to her extraordinary lineup. From post-punk to psychedelia to R&B, Meltdown brings a truly eclectic lineup of talent who are both inspired by Grace Jones and are a testament to her musical curiosity and inventiveness. There really is something for everyone, reaffirming the Southbank Centre as an open and inclusive space where people from all backgrounds can come together and enjoy Grace’s incredible curation.”

These acts will come as the cherry on top for attendees of the exciting summer festival, with confirmed artists such as Grace Jones, Peaches, Skunk Anansie, Sky Ferreira, Hot Congotronics (Hot chip + Kasai Allstars) and Honey Dijon shaping up what looks like one hell of a party.

Speaking about her inspiration behind the lineup, Grace Jones stated; “In the face of adversity, there is no pandemic in the world that will stop me from curating the Meltdown festival. It is my mission to present to you many exciting and gifted artists from various sectors of the music world. Come, see and listen; experience this dazzling plethora of talent at the Southbank Centre.”

Experiencing spellbinding live music isn’t all that’s going on for this year’s festival. Free activities such as an opening event from the radio station No Signal, Island Life Reggae Soundclash, fashion events from A Night of A Thousand Graces and Africa Fashion Week London and roller skating in the aptly named “Roll Up To The Bumper Baby”.  A full list of all the fun to be had is available here.

Tickets for this year’s Meltdown Festival will go on sale on Wednesday the 13^th of April 2022 at 10am BST. A chance to get yours can be found here.