English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
by Zena Grieg
published: 29 / 10 / 2024

Label:
Island Records
Format: CD
intro
Expansive and atmospheric debut album from acclaimed Leeds indie band English Teacher
Following an acclaimed appearance in 2023 on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’, Leeds band English Teacher have released their debut album. ‘ This Could Be Texas’ (a sardonic play on Judy Garland’s line ‘This isn’t Kansas’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz’) is an eclectic mix of rock, electronica, post-punk and indie-prog, their expansive sound complemented by the expressive vocals of lead singer Lily Fontaine. Themes are topical, with the cost-of-living crisis, environmental disasters, broken homes, prejudice and mental health issues driving several of the songs, propelled by engaging rhythms and dramatic lyrics. Throughout, there is an idiosyncratic, unifying distinctive perspective, in Fontaine’s words: “I want this album to feel like you’ve gone to space, and it turns out it’s almost identical to Doncaster”. Songs to listen out for in this thirteen-track collection include: the slow-building indie-rock opener ‘Albatross’ with its jangling guitars accentuating an underlying unease; lead single ‘World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ with its in-your-face lyrics: ”I am the world’s biggest paving slab/So watch your fucking feet”; ‘Broken Biscuits’, a laconic critique of government negligence and societal breakdown, set against syncopated rhythms; microcosm of teenage angst ‘I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying’; ‘Mastermind Specialism’, with its existential tension around indecision, underscored by a looping sound; ‘Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space’ with its humorous lines: “Not everybody gets to go to space, you can’t change it/It’s not ideal but it’s just how it’s always been/Because if everybody got to go to space/No one would ever want to clean“; catchy 2021 single ‘R&B’, reimagined, using Fontaine’s own personal experience: “Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B (I’ve been writing R&B for you)/ Even though I’ve seen more colour Shows than KEXPs (I’ve been writing R&B for you)”; the intense, haunting, jazz-inflected ballad ‘You Blister My Paint’; and the closer 'Albert Road', a sobering cry against intolerance, carried by Fontaine’s emotive, conversational vocals. A captivating sequence of musical vignettes, creating a unique musical landscape, ‘This Could Be Texas’ is an atmospheric, experimental record with insightful songwriting, which will strike a chord with old fans and new.
Track Listing:-
1 Albatross2 The World's Biggest Paving Slab
3 Broken Biscuitss
4 I'm Not Crying You're Crying
5 Mastermind Specialism
6 This Could Be Texas
7 Not Everyone Gets to go to Space
8 R&B
9 Nearly Daffodils
10 Best Tears of Your Life
11 Blister My Paint
12 Sideboob
13 Albert Road
Band Links:-
https://www.englishteacherband.com/https://www.facebook.com/EnglishTeacherBand/
https://x.com/Englishteac_her
Label Links:-
http://www.islandrecords.co.uk/https://twitter.com/islandrecordsuk/
https://www.youtube.com/user/islandrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/IslandRecordsUK/
https://instagram.com/islandrecordsuk/
Play in YouTube:-
Have a Listen:-
soundcloud
most viewed articles
current edition
Spear Of Destiny - InterviewRobert Forster - Interview
Fiona Hutchings - Interview
When Rivers Meet - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Carl Ewens - David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track: Every Album, Every Song
Brian Wilson - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Pistol Daisys - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Gary Numan - Berserker
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Roberta Flack - 1937 - 2025
most viewed reviews
current edition
Peter Doolan - I Am a Tree Rooted to the Spot and a Snake Moves Around Me,in a CircleGarbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
Little Simz - Lotus
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
John McKay - Sixes and #Sevens
Vultures - Liz Kershaw Session 16.06.88
Billy Nomates - Metalhorse
HAIM - I Quit
Vinny Peculiar - Things Too Long Left Unsaid
Morcheeba - Escape The Chaos
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart