Blood Lyrics – Dry Cleaning | from “Secret Love”

Dry Cleaning are gearing up for their third album Secret Love, dropping January 9, 2026, via 4AD, and Blood sits right in the middle as track six—a tense, brooding slice that feels like the band’s signature unease dialed up to something sharper and more direct.

The whole record was produced by Cate Le Bon, who brought her touch to sessions that started in Peckham rehearsal rooms and moved through spots like Jeff Tweedy’s Loft in Chicago, Sonic Studios in Dublin with Gilla Band’s rhythm section, and finally Black Box in France’s Loire Valley. It’s their first time working with someone new since John Parish, and you can hear how it opened things up: more space, more dynamics, while keeping that post-punk core of scratchy guitars, off-kilter rhythms, and Florence Shaw’s spoken-word delivery that turns everyday absurdities into something almost sinister.

Secret Love centers on trust—or the lack of it—with songs exploring manipulation, hidden intentions, and the way power plays out in relationships and the wider world. Blood, from early reviews, leans into that dread: a shimmering distant riff giving way to an incessant beat, Shaw’s blank delivery cutting through lines about elites showing their “arse” and people who really don’t care, blending anti-war, anti-capitalist frustration with personal complicity. It’s one of their oddest and most unsettling tracks yet, short at around three minutes but heavy with that creeping unrest.

The rollout started back in September with the lead single Hit My Head All Day, which Shaw described as tackling mind and body manipulation inspired by far-right misinformation online—playful yet dark, with a video full of choreographed unease. More singles followed like Cruise Ship Designer and Let Me Grow and You’ll See the Fruit, building buzz for the 11-track list that mixes twitchy grooves, psychedelic sprawls, and quieter moments. Fans can pre-order on Bandcamp or Spotify now for early tracks and the full drop—limited vinyl colors are already moving fast. Shaw’s lyrics remain some of the most inventive in indie rock, impressionistic and surreal, like cut-up thoughts from a fractured day.

This album arrives after a longer gap than usual, post-Stumpwork in 2022, and it shows the band evolving without losing their edge. They’ve toured hard, won a Grammy for packaging, and now with Le Bon’s positivity guiding them, Secret Love feels like their most confident step yet—still weird, still sharp, but bigger and more elastic.

Dive into the Blood lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other Secret Love tracks for more of Dry Cleaning’s tense, brilliant unease.