English Teacher - This Could Be Texas

  by Zena Grieg

published: 29 / 10 / 2024

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Review

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 Albatross
2 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/EnglishTeache
https://x.com/Englishteac_her

Label Links:-

http://www.islandrecords.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/islandrecordsuk/
https://www.youtube.com/user/islandrec
https://www.facebook.com/IslandRecords
https://instagram.com/islandrecordsuk/

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