The South London band offer fragile optimism as their third album Secret Love nears release

Dry Cleaning have returned with Joy, a quietly unsettling yet unexpectedly tender new single that closes their upcoming third album with a rare note of optimism.

The South London post-punk band will release Secret Love later this week, marking the follow-up to their 2022 album Stumpwork. While much of Dry Cleaning’s work is defined by emotional distance, sharp observation and deadpan unease, Joy deliberately leans into warmth, compassion and resilience.

The lyrics for the track were assembled from advertisements found in Virginia Tech University’s History of Food and Drink archive. From this unlikely source material, the band crafted a song that acts as what they describe as a compassionate guide for listeners in need of reassurance. The track ultimately delivers a gentle but firm message: “Don’t give up on being sweet.”

Despite its hopeful refrain, Joy does not ignore the bleakness of the present. References to “horrorland” and “destruction” place the song firmly within the anxieties of modern life. Yet rather than dwelling in despair, the track insists on the possibility of building something gentler a “cute harmless world”  even in hostile conditions.

Frontwoman Florence Shaw said the song emerged from a period of growing pessimism. She cited concerns over the influence of the so-called manosphere, the ongoing genocide against Palestinians, the rise of the Reform party in the UK, and the increasing promotion of artificial intelligence within art and music.

Faced with that backdrop, Shaw said she wanted to resist emotional numbness. Instead, Joy became an attempt to rekindle softness and empathy, even if those impulses feel naive in the current climate. She described the song’s wishes as intentionally simple, fragile, and vulnerable.

The track serves as the final statement on Secret Love, offering an optimistic sign-off rather than a dramatic conclusion. Where earlier Dry Cleaning releases often ended with ambiguity or emotional restraint, Joy closes the album by openly reaching toward kindness.

The single is accompanied by a choreographed video created by performance duo BULLYACHE and starring guitarist Tom Dowse. The band explained that they wanted to move away from traditional narrative music videos and instead provide a more open, expressive response to the music.

Dowse said the idea was inspired by the vastly different ways audiences engage with Dry Cleaning’s live performances. From energetic singalongs to solitary listeners absorbed in the sound, the band wanted to reflect that range of physical and emotional reactions. The choreography was designed as a flexible framework that anyone could interpret, regardless of skill or confidence.

Joy follows earlier singles Hit My Head All Day, Cruise Ship Designer and Let Me Grow And You’ll See The Fruit, all of which previewed the emotional and sonic scope of Secret Love. The album has already been highlighted as one of the most anticipated releases of 2026.

Following the album’s release, Dry Cleaning will tour across the UK, Europe and North America, alongside a run of intimate UK outstore shows. They are also scheduled to appear at Latitude Festival later this year.With Joy, Dry Cleaning step into unfamiliar emotional territory  not abandoning their sharp perspective, but allowing hope to surface, however quietly, at the edge of the noise.