Cloth Release Single “Never Know”
New Album ‘Secret Measure’ Out 5th May via Rock Action Records
Run Of Live Shows Announced Inc. TRNSMT, Dot To Dot + Album Launch Show at Glasgow’s Mono
Glasgow-based twin-sibling duo Cloth (Rachael and Paul Swinton) are excited to today release their new single “Never Know”, taken from their upcoming album ‘Secret Measure’ (out 5th May 2023). ‘Secret Measure’ is the band’s first full-length release on Rock Action Records (Mogwai, Arab Strap, The Twilight Sad) following the four-song ‘Low Sun EP’ (2022). The album was produced by Ali Chant (Yard Act, Katy J Pearson, Perfume Genius).
Underpinned by a playful and moody groove, Rachael’s icy delivery on “Never Know” is warmed by a lush and elegant backdrop of instrumentation that carries the song through five gorgeous minutes.
Paul says of the track –
“Never Know was born from a really big, dark-sounding groove we came up with quite early on in the album’s writing process. We had a lot of fun building the track up in the studio and plundering Ali Chant’s synth collection. Lyrically, the song is a little different to the others on the record as it deals more with unrequited feelings and how to process them. It sounds a little bleak in places but it’s not a song of despair, but rather one of acceptance and recognition of the steps you (reluctantly) need to take to get over someone for good.”
Alongside, the band have also released a visual for ‘Never Know’, directed by Bristol’s Clump Collective
Clump Collective described the video creative process –
“We wanted the video for ‘Never Know’ to feel as if you’re a voyeur on a journey into the unknown. We follow Rachael and Paul as they take a nocturnal car journey, trusting in them to bring us along for the ride. Rachael leads us to a mysterious door in a field – mirroring the ‘Secret Measure’ album cover. We don’t understand where the door leads to or why it’s there, but the people queueing in front of it look pretty familiar…”
Cloth are on top form, this new release brings this boisterous bass line fitting out the depth of this expressive release, assisted with elevated twinkly notes, elongated notes, and the most emotive vocal harmonies. The harmonies and delicate vocal notes soar high above the immersive instrumentation, “Never Know” delivers this truly raw composition.
Cloth has this fearless identity when they allow intimacy to conquer its soundscapes, creating this vast atmosphere that shifts through various power stages and keeps the audience fixated on the unpredictable journey. Whilst the listener embraces the fragility of the exploration, the track meanders through this complexity and later explores experimental attributes. The course flourishes as it adapts through tender traits to intense highs.
In our first introduction to this outfit, we stated Cloth has this real sense of magic as an outfit, their vision can be easily connected with and the tonality and hypnotic melodies speak such emotive values, this needs to be shouted from rooftops, you will be transfixed on this outfit and their meaningful compositions.
Pre-order ‘Secret Measure’ Here
Officially forming in 2018, Rachael and Paul had spent years working creatively together, alone, honing their own wholly unique musical language. Cloth’s self-titled debut album (2019) resulted from a multitude of home-recorded phone notes, shaped into exquisite guitar-pop songs, which earned a spot on the coveted Scottish Album Of The Year shortlist. The duo landed support slots with Arab Strap and The Twilight Sad before catching the eye of Mogwai’s legendary Glasgow label Rock Action Records.
‘Secret Measure’ finds Clothexpanding their creative circle for the first time, turning their tried-and-tested insular working process on its head by collaborating with producer Ali Chant. The new record sees Paul step up as sole lyricist, where previously the siblings had collaborated. The duo’s debut LP dealt with disparate and often ambiguous lyrical themes; ‘Secret Measure’ is immediately more forthright. Centred around a desire for personal assurances, the album’s narrative reflects on Paul’s realisation that even as bleak as things get you can always find a flash of hope to hold on to if you look hard enough. Indicative of the musical bond that sits at the core of Cloth, Rachael trusted in the themes that Paul was exploring throughout the album, finding ways to impart her own experiences on the songs throughout the process.
Live Dates
25th March – Ritual Union, Bristol
5th May – Album Launch, Mono, Glasgow
14th May – In Colour, Leeds
19th May- Celebrate This Place, Cardiff
27th May – Dot to Dot, Bristol
28th May – Dot to Dot, Nottingham
7th July – TRNSMT, Glasgow Green
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