The lead track arrives as a poignant opening to what the band has described as an album centred on misinformation, control, and the manipulation of bodies and minds. Lead vocalist, Florence Shaw, comments, ‘Hit My Head All Day’ seeks to catch the insidious influence of prevailing disinformation, commenting, “there are powerful people that seek to influence our behaviour… It’s easy to fall under the influence of a sinister stranger who seems like a friend”.

The upcoming album ‘Secret Love’, following their last release in 2022 with ‘Stumpwork’, will showcase 11 new tracks, including the ahead-of-release single. The album itself was recorded over multiple locations, spanning Jeff Tweedy’s Chicago studio The Loft, to Dublin’s Sonic Studios, and was produced by musician Cate Le Bon in France at Black Box studio. A glimpse at the album’s body of work includes titles like ‘Cruise Ship Designer’, ‘Rocks’, and the intriguingly suggestive ‘Secret Love (Concealed in a Drawing of a Boy)’.

The release of the band’s third album marks the purposeful combination of ambition and care. Shaw and the bandmates have travelled to various locations and selected specific collaborating members in order to curate the finished project, working primarily in England with members of ‘Gilla Band’, the likes of Alan Duggan and Daniel Fox, before heading to France to finalise the project with Le Bon in France. The underlying intent throughout the creative process maintains focus on their signature blend of new sound and distinctive lyricism, contributing to their global profile.

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Dry Cleaning, along with this announcement of new music, continues to embark on their 2025 tour. Upcoming global dates in Brooklyn, Madrid, London, and Barcelona are likely to hear the first live performances of ‘Hit My Head All Day’, ahead of ‘Secret Love’ full arrival.

The announcement, however, also marks a clear thematic evolution for Dry Cleaning, as they continue to push their core investment in post-punk instrumentation in a new direction. The band’s earlier works, ‘New Long Leg’ (2021) and ‘Stumpwork’ (2022), have cemented their mastery of the genre, established primarily through Shaw’s observational yet unsettling vocals. With ‘Secret Love’, it appears the band are determined to continue this trajectory into a further commentary of their own sonic expansion.

With the release of “Hit My Head All Day”, alongside the prospects of their album release, Dry Cleaning have set the tone for their future music: internally uneasy, introspective, and with a sharp awareness of a media-saturated world.

With January drawing closer, listeners and critics will have both eyes and ears set on the release date. ‘Secret Love’ on the horizon promises a tension between restraint and unease, with their previewing track ‘Hit My Head All Day’ signalling the grip Dry Cleaning have on the post-punk landscape.

The post-punk giants will kick things off in their homeland of Scotland, with a show at the LiveHouse venue in Dundee on February 24. From there, they’ll make way to the north of England, with stops confirmed in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle at the end of the month.

We are very excited to announce our 2026 UK/EU Headline Tour. We’re looking forward to visiting all of these incredible places next year. Artist presale will run via Seated on 17th June at 10am local time and general sale starts 20th June at 10AM local via https://t.co/2LouV5j9Jc pic.twitter.com/cPhvw5s1NR

— Franz Ferdinand (@Franz_Ferdinand) June 16, 2025

They’ll travel further south in March, with shows booked in Nottingham, Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol, as well as other cities. They’ll close out their UK dates at London’s Brixton Academy on March 11, before starting the European leg of their tour, with gigs scheduled in Vienna, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The announcement has come right before the band perform at Glastonbury 2025 next week, performing at The Other Stage on Friday, June 27. They’ll be sharing the stage with Rizzle Kicks, Wet Leg, Busta Rhymes, Gracie Abrams, and stage headliner Loyle Carner.

Franz Ferdinand will be performing at several other festivals this summer, such as Valley Of The Arts, Tramlines, Truck, Y Not, Boardmasters and AMA Music Festival. They have a busy touring schedule for the rest of 2025, with stops in Europe, the U.S., Australia and Japan.

The new tour announcement has come on the heels of the band’s seventh studio album, ‘The Human Fear’, which was released in January. The record was met with positive reception from critics. Giving a 7/10 review, Clash Magazine wrote: “Fun, lean, and concise, ‘The Human Fear’ finds Franz Ferdinand looking to the future without any need to panic.”

In an interview with NPR, frontman Alex Kapranos spoke on the feeling of fear, the central concept to their latest album. “People don’t like admitting to feeling fear,” said Kapranos. “Bob [Hardy] and I had this great conversation about how fear is often the most exciting element in life, or overcoming it.”

Bob Hardy, the band’s bassist, claimed that the songs on ‘The Human Fear’ are meant to motivate those who struggle with the emotion. “If you live your life without putting yourself in a situation where you ever feel afraid, then it’s gonna be a pretty boring life. Are you really living?”

You can find Franz Ferdinand’s full touring schedule on their official website here.

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Celebrating Marr, as well as local record stores, a plaque for the 61-year old has been unveiled at one of the musician’s regular haunts. Located in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and just a short walk from Afflecks Palace, Piccadilly Records became one of the most important record stores in the country in the post-punk boom that came out of the North West, and has been Marr’s record store of choice for almost 50 years.  

The former Smiths guitarist used the opportunity to highlight just how important independent record shops are, saying, “Going out to a record store, it’s a nice pastime. It’s a part of the culture; if they were to completely disappear, the high street or the city centre would be a much worse off place. There’s something about the presence of a record store. It’s a magical thing. I’ve known the staff in Piccadilly Records for 20 years…this plaque is a very nice thing to be associated with.”

@recordstoreday Announcing @Johnny Marr Official as the official Record Store Legend 2025 This award was presented to Johnny Marr at his favourite indie record shop #PiccadillyRecords by @Record Store Day US and Record Store Day UK for both his influence on music and his unwavering support of indie record shops worldwide. “There’s something about the presence of a record store. It’s a magical thing. I’ve known the staff in Picadilly Records for 20 years…this plaque is a very nice thing to be associated with.’’ – Johnny Marr Marr has consistently championed record stores worldwide across multiple album campaigns and will be celebrating #RecordStoreDay ♬ original sound – Record Store Day UK

Andy McQueen, who has worked at Piccadilly Records for over 30 years, said, “Johnny Marr is our favourite living artist, and his music has soundtracked our lives for over forty years. To be associated with him in this beautiful way; well, the pleasure, the privilege is ours.” Speaking to Mancunian Matters in 2015, McQueen described Record Store Day as “brilliant, saying “It brings in a whole new load of customers. I love the spirit of the day.”

Marr will be one of over 400 artists to be participating in this year’s Record Store Day offerings, releasing an exclusive orange double LP called ‘Look Out Live!’. The album will be a live record, recorded at his Hammersmith Apollo show in 2024, and will be released alongside the countless other records on 12 April. According to the Record Store Day website, the album “encapsulates the magic of the culmination of his 2024 Spirit Power tour”, and features tracks from across his impressive 40 year career. Those include ‘This Charming Man’, ‘Getting Away With It’, and ‘Armatopia’. The full track listing can be found here.

2025 won’t be Marr’s first collaboration with the celebratory event, having previously participated in 2015 with his single, ‘I Feel You’, in 2022 with Vince Clarke’s remix of Marr’s ‘Spirit Power and Soul’, as well as various releases from The Smiths and Electronic.

In February, MXDWN UK previewed Record Store Day 2025, highlighting the most sought after records of this year’s edition. Among them are Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight’, an Oasis greatest hits compilation titled ‘Times Flies’, two Charlie xcx records, including her collaboration with Billie Eilish, ‘Guess’, and Sam Fender’s EP, ‘Me and the Dog’.

The Oasis Time Flies Record Store Day UK reissue has landed! We even opened one up to show it off a bit. Available in store from 8am Saturday 12th April, first come, first served!@recordstoredayuk.bsky.social

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— Bear Tree Records (@beartreerecords.bsky.social) 2 April 2025 at 20:05

 For Marr, this isn’t just another trophy in a cabinet full of awards, it is recognition for being part of a wave that has seen the record store revived. In 2024, vinyl sales accounted for £196 million of physical sales, compared to £126 million in CD sales. Considering Marr’s place in post-punk history, Piccadilly Records is a fitting home for his plaque.

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The festival has an electrifying lineup of legendary artists. Headlining the event are pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk, who promise to deliver a mesmerising audiovisual performance, blending futuristic soundscapes and hypnotic beats with iconic tracks like ‘Autobahn’ and ‘The Model.’ Meanwhile, Billy Idol, with his legendary hits like ‘Rebel Yell’ and ‘White Wedding,’ will bring pure rock energy and nostalgia. Adding to the magic, the iconic Happy Mondays will bring their infectious Madchester grooves to the stage, delivering crowd-pleasers like ‘Step On’ and ‘Hallelujah’. Their blend of alternative rock, funk, and acid house will no doubt get people grooving. Together, these artists will create an incredible experience, making this festival a truly memorable celebration of music.

The festival is also offering more than just music. Forever Now is featuring The Echo Chamber, a unique stage dedicated to exploring the cultural movements and narratives behind the music. The stage has been curated by music journalist and musician John Robb and will host artist panels, interviews, and discussions which allow fans to feel connected to their favourite artists. The festival takes inspiration from its US counterpart, The Cruel World Festival, which has become a beloved gathering for fans of the genre in the US. Forever Now seeks to recreate that success in the UK, offering a platform that highlights the rich history of alternative music while also introducing new audiences to a range of acts.

@cruelworldfestival Cruel World lineup is here… passes on sale Fri Oct 25th #cruelworld #bluemonday ♬ original sound – cruelworldfest

Tickets for Forever Now go on presale on December 5, 2024. The general sale is set to be released on December 6, 2024. Tickets will include access to the festival’s main stages and activities and they are reported as a starting price of £85. VIP packages are also available, which offer enhanced experiences such as early entry and dedicated areas. Given the talk surrounding the lineup and the excitement of a sister festival, tickets are expected to sell out quickly.

The festival is set in Milton Keynes’ iconic National Bowl, and with two primary music stages, the event promises to attract fans from across the UK. Forever Now is destined to be a stop-off for anyone passionate about individuality and creativity.

The festival blends legendary acts with newer voices whilst also allowing for cultural exploration in the alternative genre, Forever Now captures the timeless spirit of post-punk and alternative music. The introduction of this new festival ensures that the genre’s legacy continues to thrive for generations to come in the UK.

For any questions and updates, please visit the festival’s official website here.

For ticket information, you can click here.

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Fontaines D.C. is a critically acclaimed post-punk band from Dublin, Ireland, known for their gritty, poetic lyrics and dynamic sound that draws from punk rock, post-punk, and traditional Irish influences. Formed in 2017, the band’s name combines Fontaines (a character from The Godfather) with D.C., short for Dublin City. Fontaines D.C. are celebrated for balancing modern punk sensibilities with a deep connection to their Irish roots, making them a standout act in the post-punk revival movement.

The band performed at the sold-out Alexandra Palace, London, yesterday. The support act was DIIV, an American indie-rock band based in Brooklyn, New York, known for their dreamy sound, combining jangly guitars and introspective lyrics. Their music often touches on themes of addiction, self-reflection, and emotional vulnerability. The rest of the tour is supported by Sorry, an indie-rock band from North London. Their music combines elements of indie rock, trip-hop, and jazz with eclectic influences ranging from 90s grunge to electronic experimentation.

See you tonight, London.

7pm: @sorrybanduk
7:50pm: @DIIV
9pm: Fontaines D.C. pic.twitter.com/jRMNMoUOvK
— Fontaines D.C. (@fontainesdublin) November 22, 2024

Fontaines D.C.’s fourth studio album ‘Romance’ was released on August 23, 2024. It marks a bold evolution in their sound. Moving beyond their earlier focus on Irish identity, the band explores more surreal, fantastical themes and emotional depth. Whilst labelled as a post-punk band, Fontaines D.C. is hoping to achieve something different with their latest release.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect me, insofar as it made me want to prove that we weren’t that,” frontman Grian Chatten told GQ, “with each record we’ve said, there’s no way they can call this a punk record or a postpunk record, and they always fucking do.”

The song ‘Starbuster‘ from the new album has so far received the most listens on Spotify.

The band will also tour the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 2025. For tickets for the rest of their UK & Ireland tour, you can visit their website or check for updates on upcoming shows on their Instagram.

In the United States, the record has reached the Number One position on five Billboard charts: Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Alternative Albums. It also debuted at Number Four on the Billboard 200, the band’s second-highest placement ever, surpassed only by 1992’s Wish, which reached Number Two. Additionally, it became the top-selling physical album in the US, according to industry reports.

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Songs of a Lost World has been equally well-received in the UK. Earlier this month, the album debuted at Number One on the UK Albums Chart, making it the first Cure album to achieve this feat since Wish. The record has already been certified Silver in the UK, reflecting strong sales. This achievement solidifies The Cure’s enduring legacy in their home country, resonating strongly with both long-time fans and a new generation of listeners.

The band celebrated this milestone with a live performance at London’s Troxy, where they showcased the album in full alongside a 31-song setlist. The album’s release was accompanied by a live event at London’s Troxy, where the band performed a 31-song setlist, including the new album in its entirety. Two additional performances were held at the BBC Radio Theatre, which can be watched back here.

Reflecting on the album’s reception a post on the band’s Instagram, frontman Robert Smith expressed gratitude, saying, “It is enormously uplifting, genuinely heartwarming to experience such a wonderful reaction to the release of the new Cure album. To everyone who has bought it, listened to it, loved it, believed in us over the years – THANK YOU!”

 

 

 

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Smith has disclosed that the album’s themes are deeply personal, shaped by his experiences of loss, including the deaths of his parents and brother. The track I Can Never Say Goodbye specifically addresses the loss of his brother, while Smith credited his wife, Mary Poole Smith, with helping finalise the album’s tracklisting.

Critical reception for Songs of a Lost World has been overwhelmingly positive. NME awarded it five stars, describing it as “arguably the most personal album of Smith’s career,” adding: “mortality may loom, but there’s colour in the black and flowers on the grave.”

Looking ahead, The Cure have plans for extensive touring. Smith has confirmed that the band intends to begin a worldwide tour in 2025, with performances expected to continue through to their 50th anniversary in 2028. He also hinted in an interview with NME at the release of a second album, which is “virtually finished,” as well as a potential third album.

The album was recorded at Church Studios in Crouch End, London, with Mercury Prize-winning producer Marta Salogni and Grace Banks at the helm, alongside long-time collaborator Dan Carey, who has worked with the band on their previous two releases. Cowards also features contributions from an impressive array of musicians, including Danish experimental artist Clarissa Connelly, composer Tony Njoku, Pozi’s Rosa Brook, percussionist Zands Duggan, and the Ruisi Quartet, who contribute violin, viola, and cello to the album’s intricate arrangements.

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In support of Cowards, Squid will embark on an extensive UK tour beginning in February 2025, with the first date in Liverpool on February 17. The band will perform across the UK in cities including Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, and Sheffield, before concluding the run with a highly anticipated show at London’s Roundhouse on April 26. Tickets for the tour are available now here, and fans can expect a live set featuring new material alongside fan favourites from Bright Green Field and O Monolith.

 

 

 

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The album announcement follows a special one-off intimate show in New York City on November 12, where the band previewed several tracks from Cowards live for the first time. This included ‘Crispy Skin’, the album’s lead single, which has already been released in anticipation of the full album. Squid treated the packed crowd at DROM to a mix of new material, including the unreleased tracks Building 650 and Cro-Magnon Man, giving fans a glimpse into the darker, more experimental direction of Cowards.

Crispy Skin was released ahead of the album to introduce listeners to the dystopian themes that permeate Cowards. Lyrically inspired by Agustina Bazterrica’s novel Tender Is The Flesh, the track imagines a world where cannibalism is the societal norm. Lead singer Ollie Judge said to NME that ” the reality of having a moral-compass in dystopian stories of desperation and horror would be extremely difficult”. The single’s release was accompanied by a music video directed by Takashi Ito, which adapts his 1995 experimental short film Zone, distilling the unsettling tone of the song with stark, surreal imagery.

With Cowards, Squid continue the thematic exploration which has made their name, offering a more expansive and complex vision compared to their previous sound which incorporated crunchy krautrock guitar and David Byrne-inspired vocals. The record builds on the artistic risk-taking of O Monolith while venturing into new sonic territories, incorporating elements of avant-garde, jazz, and electronic music into their ever-evolving style. Pre-order here Cowards now, and catch Squid live across the UK early next year.

The announcement of ‘Alone’ has generated significant excitement among fans. The Cure has been teasing their comeback with hints and cryptic messages. The song will premiere on Mary Anne Hobbs’ BBC 6 Music radio show on September 26 and will be available on streaming platforms shortly after.

Robert Smith, the band’s frontman, has been discussing new material since at least 2019. In various interviews, he has mentioned that the band has been working on multiple albums over the past decade. ‘Alone’ has already become a fan favourite, having been performed live as the set opener during their recent tours since 2022.

ALONEhttps://t.co/Txrpm6P0dE pic.twitter.com/03DRindHiG

— The Cure (@thecure) September 21, 2024

The Cure’s last studio album, 4:13 Dream, was released in 2008. Their 1992 album Wish and 1989’s Disintegration are often cited as some of the best works in alternative rock, solidifying their legacy as one of the most influential bands of their era.

The marketing campaign for Songs of a Lost World has been intriguing, with Smith sharing a cryptic post that simply read, “And then…,” sparking widespread speculation. This was followed by the band’s official website being wiped clean and replaced with an email signup link. Fans in the UK received black postcards featuring the album title and a set of Roman numerals translating to the release date. Alongside “Alone,” other new tracks like ‘A Fragile Thing’, ‘Endsong’, ‘I Can Never Say Goodbye’, ‘And Nothing Is Forever,’ and ‘Another Happy Birthday’ have also been performed live, hinting at the rich musical tapestry that Songs of a Lost World promises to be.

 

 

 

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The album’s artwork, designed by long-time collaborator Andy Vella, continues the band’s tradition of visually compelling covers. Vella has been associated with The Cure since their 1981 single “Primary,” and his latest work for “Alone” is expected to be a visual treat, with the band having already posted grayscale rocky visuals in the promotional material.

In a 2022 interview with NME, Smith disclosed that the band has been working on two distinct records, with Songs of a Lost World being one of them. “So I’ve been working on two Cure albums, and one of them is finished,” Smith said in the interview, adding: “Unfortunately, it’s the second one that’s finished. On the other I’ve got to do four vocals, and there are 10 songs on each album. We’re mixing next month on April 1, so I’ve got three weeks left,” Smith explained.

In a surprise victory, Leeds-based indie band English Teacher took home the 2024 Mercury Prize for their debut album, This Could Be Texas. The four-piece, who formed at Leeds Conservatoire in 2020, became the first act from outside of London to win the prestigious award since Young Fathers in 2014, and the group used the occasion to highlight concerns about London-centrism in the industry.

The band’s album was praised by judges for its “originality and character,” with a unique blend of surrealist lyrics and social commentary layered over a fresh interpretation of the traditional guitar band sound. The prize, which seeks to recognize artistic achievement in album form, awarded the band £25,000 along with widespread industry recognition.

Frontwoman Lily Fontaine took the stage at Abbey Road Studios to accept the award, thanking her mother, who designed the album’s artwork. The rest of the band, including guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost, and bassist Nicholas Eden, seemed stunned by the win, with Fontaine admitting: “We didn’t really plan this far. What do we do now?”

The show promises an exciting preview on the eve of the album’s official UK release the following day. About the imminent release of Romance, lead singer Grian Chatten recently told Rolling Stone: “The infrastructure, visually and sonically, feels a bit more robust, but we’re always going to have a ramshackle element. Whether we’re playing big arenas or not, there’s always going to be a sense of anarchy in what we do and the way we perform. We’re still just walking on a tight rope.”

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 After rocketing to local fame playing Dublin venues, the band caught mass attention with their debut album Dogrel, which dropped in April 2019 to critical acclaim, earning a Mercury Prize nomination and solidifying their place in the post-punk revival scene. The follow-up, A Hero’s Death, released in July 2020, further cemented their status, garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Their third album, Skinty Fia, released in 2022, achieved number one on both the Irish and UK Albums Charts.

The band has released all the album’s singles individually, most recently sharing  “In the Modern World” with fans, a pensive orchestral track channelling more accessible guitar-pop influences as opposed to the post-punk flavour of the group’s early work. Critics quickly noted the song as emblematic of the band’s evolving sound and emotional pitch.

“It’s a nihilistic take on modern living, on how capitalism and consumption suck out all feeling — even the bad ones. The new single was penned in Los Angeles and borrows from the stylings of Lana Del Rey, two influences that couldn’t seem much further from the places and people that first influenced Fontaines on Dogrel,” wrote Elle Palmer of Far Out Magazine about “In the Modern World”.

“It makes sense, then, that ‘In the Modern World’ acts as a distillation of their changing sound and perfectly sets us up for the release of Romance,” Palmer added.

In a similar step-change, “Favourite” channels softer 2000s indie flavours, while “Starburster” shares the same theatrical orchestral ambition as “In the Modern World,” combined with punchy, empty-room percussion and wrapped vocals.

Regarding the band’s directional shift on Romance, the Guardian wrote that “Romance is more straightforwardly approachable than any Fontaines DC album to date […] but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the band’s potency in the process: thrillingly, it still carries the same grimy, careworn, aggressive qualities as their previous work.”

The popularity of tickets for the Electric Ballroom gig, despite the abrupt nature of the show’s announcement, is testament to the wave of popularity that Fontaines are riding, and this fan loyalty has proven persistent through previous stylistic course-shifts the band have offered in recent years. Now, though, with perhaps their most dramatic tonal redirection, the fast selling tickets for tomorrow’s performance is a sign that clamour for Fontaines is as strong as ever. Some remaining tickets for the intimate launch gig at Electric Ballroom can be found here.