Listen to English Teacher’s reflective new single ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’

Leeds indie rock group English Teacher have shared their latest track, ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’. Check out the single below.

• READ MORE: How English Teacher proved that Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition is more urgent than ever

Released today (August 10), the track is the latest single from the four-piece, and follows on from their hit track ‘Song About Love’ – which arrived at the start of the year and explored how love is a theme that is prominent in nearly all aspects of life.

This time around, the members – Lily Fontaine, Douglas Frost, Nicholas Eden and Lewis Whiting – take an equally reflective view of the world around them, and explore how the social, economic and political landscape is a sharp juxtaposition from the beauty that can be found within the people existing inside it.

“I wrote and recorded the demo in my bedroom in one day, during my final year of university in 2018,” the frontwoman said of the inspiration behind ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’.

“Moving to a city for university forced me to reflect on how my experience of growing up in and around Pendle, how witnessing the social, economic and political issues that exist around there in juxtaposition with the beauty of the landscape and the characters that live within in it, has shaped me into the artist and person that I am.”

These semi-rural stories leak into most of my writing,” she continued. “In particular, this song tackles delusions of grandeur and inferiority from the perspective of a small town’s local celebrities. It’s split into two halves.”

The single is out now via Island Records and produced by Marta Salgoni (Bjork, Black Midi, Animal Collective). Check it out above.

The new single comes ahead of the band’s biggest UK headlining tour to date, which will see them make stops across the country, including a slot at London’s iconic Scala venue.

A highly-anticipated homecoming show is also scheduled for the upcoming tour – which will take palace throughout autumn – and will be held at the city’s Brudenell Social Club.

Other stops in the headliner tour include shows in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and more, and the band will also make an appearance at Leeds and Reading Festival (August 25-27) before their first headline show in October. Find a full list of UK headline dates and tickets here.

At the start of the year, English Teacher spoke to NME about the importance of saving BBC Introducing – the platform that gives new artists a platform to develop.

The discussion was in light of the programme coming under threat following some proposed cuts to services from the BBC, and famous faces including Nile Rodgers have spoken out against the planned change.

In the discussion, the band’s guitarist, Lewis Whiting, said the continued support the band received from BBC Introducing was “invaluable”.

“It’s the main thing local bands strive for,” he added. “You can see that, from the past, local BBC Introducing airplay has produced results and made bands’ careers more tangible. It gave us a future.”

Since sharing their acclaimed debut EP ‘Polyawkward’ last year, the group have already gone on to support acts including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paolo Nutini, Parquet Courts and Yard Act, as well as a debut slot at SXSW.

Additionally, back in June last year, the band secured their place on the lineup for Glastonbury by reaching the finals of the festival’s Emerging Talent Competition.

The post Listen to English Teacher’s reflective new single ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ appeared first on NME.