The Best of New Music Friday:
English Teacher – This Could Be Texas
English Teacher first started turning heads in 2021. That’s when they released their debut single “R&B,” a rapid pace, thumping buzz of lyricism and groove. “Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B, even though I’ve seen more Colour Shows than KEXPs,” singer Lily Fontaine uttered on repeat. That first song hooked a lot of attention spans. Three years on, an EP and several singles in between, English Teacher has retooled “R&B” for their long-time-coming debut LP This Could Be Texas.
Rock fans know an album like this doesn’t come out every week.
There are numerous jaw-droppers on This Could Be Texas, the first being “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab,” a loud, bright pink sky of sound. The bass bellows and inspires fast dancing. This song is about being walked over constantly but holding the power to crash down with great triumph too, a metaphor many can resonate with.
This Could Be Texas is not all flair with laser-focused guitar and bass for flair’s sake. There’s beautiful piano melodies throughout, like on the record’s opener “Albatross” or “You Blister My Paint.” The third track “Broken Biscuits” would have one think it’s a tune all about sweet pianos, but that’s only a trick. The melodic existentialism displayed in this song is thunderous. Near the end, squeaky horns sneak their way into a scream. They’re not overbearing though, and are soft enough that the background keys are always heard. “Broken Biscuits” erupts into chaos and ends on a snap.
By this point it becomes clear: English Teacher’s sound is unlike any of its contemporaries. They offer the best of what acts like Black Country, New Road and Fontaines D.C. do, but find a way to combine all those flavors for their own palette.
“I’m Not Crying” is almost theatrical. Singer Lily Fontaine spats quick-whipped rhymes where she tells us what she’s not. “I’m not crying, you’re crying! I’m not crying, you’re crying!,” she bickers on repeat. There’s a flute. “I’m not out, I’m not loud, I’m not holy, I’m not lonely, I’m not steady, I’m not ready I’m not out, I’m not loud, I’m not holy, I’m not lonely, I’m not steady, I’m not ready.” There are zaps of electric sound. This song is about a fight. There’s a deep voice dueting with Fontaine now. “Im not crying, you’re crying, I’m not crying, you’re crying!” It’s an explosion. This is chaos for the song’s counterpart narrators.
“It’s also about pretending to be okay when being anything but,” Fontaine said about “I’m Not Crying.” “It’s about pretending you don’t care when you really do and how eventually, that is not so easy to cover up.”
It’s hard to recall if there’s been a band like English Teacher throughout this past decade in modern rock. They bring such a big sound from Leeds. Imagine standing in front of a stage while English Teacher plays. They delivered the best “Jools Holland” performance in recent memory. They’ve worked with the best producers. The hype behind This Could Be Texas puts them among the most sought-after soundmakers in rock today. English Teacher are one of a kind. They are their own sound, their own thing.
There’s room for tomfoolery on This Could Be Texas. “Not Everybody Gets to go to Space,” talks about how sad it is that most everyone never will. To be fair, as Fontaine words it, “If everybody got to go to space, no one would ever want to clean.” True.
“Nearly Daffodils” is devastating for having groove but dropping a brutally sad, hammering chorus. “Last night I dreamt that we lasted all the way ’til spring, but now the fields are full of red and blue with nothing in between. You can lead water to the daffodils, but you can’t make them drink.” Members Lewis Whiting, Douglas Frost and Nicholas Eden clash their drums and guitars while Fontaine shouts above them.
There’s a billion things that could be said about This Could Be Texas, namely how it expands the band’s catalog so much. English Teacher have been a hot commodity for nearly half a decade now. They put out the Polyawkward EP in April 2022, later the 2023 Speedy Wunderground single “Song about Love” and now thirteen complete mastered tracks on This Could Be Texas. They have a lot of music to play live for fans when they play across UK/EU and even five cities in the United States this summer. It will be a tour that shouldn’t be missed.
If it’s because of their musical abilities displayed throughout this 50-minute record or even the more experimental bits shown off on “The Best Tears of Your Life,” English Teacher have finally gotten themselves pinpointed on the map.
This highly anticipated first full-length record delivers and has enough music to hold fans over until the next, most exciting English Teacher move is made. Maybe they’ll eventually get to go to space. The sky is the limit. This Could Be Texas is only the launch pad.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
BODEGA – Our Brand Could Be Yr Life
Cola – “Pallor Tricks”
Girl in Red – I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!
Hemlock – Amen!
Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me
Porches – “Rag”
Thanks for coming – Deleted Albums, Sorry
Water From Your Eyes – “Warm Storm”
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
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