"Don't Press Me" is a song by the English post-punk band Dry Cleaning, released on 14 June 2022 as the lead single to their second album Stumpwork (2022). It was produced by John Parish.
| "Don't Press Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Dry Cleaning | ||||
| from the album Stumpwork | ||||
| B-side | "Swampy" | |||
| Released | 14 June 2022 | |||
| Recorded | October and December 2021 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 1:50 | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Composer | Dry Cleaning | |||
| Lyricist | Florence Shaw | |||
| Producer | John Parish | |||
| Dry Cleaning singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Don't Press Me" on YouTube | ||||
Recording and composition
editProduced by John Parish, the song was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and J&J Studios in Bristol in October and December 2021, then mixed at Playpen Studios in February 2022 and mastered at Loud Mastering the following month.[1] The music consists of a post-punk backing[2] supplemented with handclaps,[3] keyboards,[4] strummed acoustic guitars, and whistling (the latter by guitarist Tom Dowse).[5]
Whereas the band composed the music, the lyrics were written by the vocalist Florence Shaw.[6] On the verses, she warns the listener not to touch her gaming mouse, then on the chorus, her vocals—sung from the perspective of speaking with her own brain[4]—include lines such as "You are always fighting me"[5] and the title. Rather than repeating the chorus after the next verse, the song continues with a guitar solo from Dowse and ends before the song is able to total two minutes.[4]
Release and music video
edit"Don't Press Me" was released on 14 June 2022 as the lead single to their forthcoming album Stumpwork. It was accompanied by a music video animated by Peter Millard,[7] described in Pitchfork as "cartoon versions of the band's faces rolling around like bouncy balls."[8] The B-side to the vinyl single was "Swampy",[1] an outtake from the Stumpwork sessions. The non-album track was later re-released as the lead single (along with "Sombre Two", another outtake) to their 2023 extended play Swampy.[9]
Reception
editIn a review for Pitchfork, Jayson Greene said that "It's a testament to Shaw's flat anti-charisma and her chemistry with the band that she continues to make anomie this catchy, appealing, and funny."[3] In Paste, "Don't Press Me" was ranked at no. 33 on their list of The 50 Best Songs of 2022. The website's Scott Russell called the track "Exhibit A in support of Dry Cleaning’s newfound self-assurance", saying that it subverted their expectations twice despite its short length and its similarities to their previous material.[4] Ben Hozie of the American rock band Bodega said that "the abridged arrangement makes the track both enigmatic and endless [sic] replay-able", including it as one of his favourite songs of the year.[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Press Me" | 1:50 |
| 2. | "Swampy" | 3:33 |
Personnel
editExcept where noted, musical credits are adapted from Tidal;[6] technical and design credits are adapted from the 7-inch vinyl notes,[1]
Dry Cleaning
edit- Nick Buxton – drums
- Tom Dowse – electric guitar, whistling[5]
- Lewis Maynard – bass
- Florence Shaw – vocals
Technical and design
edit- John Parish – production; mixing at Playpen, Bristol
- Joe Jones – engineering at Rockfield, Wales
- Oliver Baldwin – engineering at J&J, Bristol
- Ali Chant – mixing at Playpen, Bristol
- Jason Mitchell – mastering at Loud
- Rottingdean Bazaar – artwork, design, creative direction
- Annie Collinge – artwork, design, photography
- Claire Huss – graphic design
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 Dry Cleaning (2022). Don't Press Me (7-inch vinyl notes). 4AD. 4AD0509SP.
- ↑ Pinnock, Tom (15 September 2022). "New Albums: Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork". Uncut. No. 306 (November 2022). Crawley, West Sussex, UK: NME Networks Media Ltd. p. 39. ISSN 1368-0722.
- 1 2 Greene, Jayson (17 June 2022). "Tracks: 'Don't Press Me' – Dry Cleaning". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Russell, Scott (5 December 2022). "The 50 Best Songs of 2022". Paste. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 Russell, Scott (19 October 2022). "Dry Cleaning Stay Curious on Stumpwork". Paste. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- 1 2 "Don't Press Me / Dry Cleaning / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (14 June 2022). "Dry Cleaning – 'Don't Press Me'". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (25 October 2022). "Albums: Stumpwork – Dry Cleaning". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Farrell, Margaret (14 February 2023). "Dry Cleaning Share Dusty and Desolate Singles 'Swampy' and 'Sombre Two'". Flood. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ Pearis, Bill (22 December 2022). "Bodega's Ben Hozie tells us about his favorite songs of 2022". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
External links
edit- "Don't Press Me" at Discogs (list of releases)