While everyone is discussing the recent shoegaze renaissance, there has been another subgenre resurgence brewing in the 2020s. Post-punk, with its talky cadences, labyrinthine song arrangements, and, dare I say, angular guitar work, has been thriving, with groups like Dry Cleaning, Black Country, New Road, and Fontaines D.C. at its helm. English Teacher, a four-piece from Leeds, formed in 2020 to make their own contributions to this scene.
Only recently, however, have they shared their full-length debut, This Could Be Texas. Expanding on the framework of their 2021 EP, Polyawkward, English Teacher takes a wide-screen approach to the post-punk foundation, presenting a live-band feel rife with lush string arrangements, complex time signatures, and a dynamism that keeps you on your toes for 50 straight minutes.
Following the record’s release in April, drummer Douglas Frost sat down with Uproxx to talk about LCD Soundsystem, Robert Pattinson, and doing crow impressions in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Really makes you think.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I’d like it to just simply still be there. Still be sitting proudly in record collections (physically or digitally). Still be music that people frequently return to, whether it’s been a week, a month or five years. I just want it to still be enjoyable, in whatever capacity.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
All of our mothers, for without them there would be no work.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
New York. A chicken cheddar club sandwich from a deli in Brooklyn at 3 a.m.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
LCD Soundsystem at Brixton Academy, London. You dance, you cry, and you sweat (buckets). I sincerely believe it’s impossible not to enjoy their shows. Period.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
“Someone Great” by LCD Soundsystem.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Full body deep stretch for tight bodies.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
A hostel with a sewage problem.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Honorable mentions include Manchester, Glasgow, and Dublin. However, the hometown shows in Leeds will always have a huge place in our hearts.
I’m aching to get myself to Japan so fingers crossed Tokyo appears on a tour schedule one day.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Everyone is more afraid of you than you are of them.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Crow impression.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support?
Humanitarian aid in Gaza.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
Music is such an innate part of human life that I do believe people will forever choose human-made music over AI, but perhaps I’m being too optimistic and a little naive.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Location: the moon!!!!!!!
Doja Cat
Natasha Bedingfield
Radiohead
Sixpence None The Richer
Philip Glass
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
@superpedjason
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
My one and only tattoo is of a fetus baby wearing a cowboy hat and using its umbilical cord as a lasso. A friend did it randomly one night and now this little guy is just there hanging out on my ankle like a yeehaw guardian angel.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Dance to pop music from 2010.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Robert Pattinson.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
I’m going on a 30-day hike across a mountain range anywhere in Europe, and I’ll be taking absolutely nobody.
What is your biggest fear?
Losing your memory, or maybe small talk with a stranger in public toilets.
This Could Be Texas is available now via Island Records. Find more information here.