One of the most hotly tipped bands in UK music right now is English Teacher, and as we get closer to that eagerly awaited debut album release, there is plenty to get excited about.
English Teacher are Lily Fontaine (vocals, rhythm guitar, synth), Douglas Frost (drums, piano, vocals), Nicholas Eden (bass) and Lewis Whiting (lead guitar).
In a crowded market for UK guitar bands, they have already managed to gain widespread acclaim from the likes of BBC 6 Music, made an appearance on Later With… Jools Holland, and sold out debut UK and US headline tours.
Their debut LP, This Could Be Texas, has now been confirmed for release on April 12th via Island records, with Albert Road, the latest single, arriving last week, produced by Marta Salogni (Bjork, Bon Iver, M.I.A.).
It follows previous singles, The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, Mastermind Specialism, and Nearly Daffodils, which showcased the rapid progression of this innovative and talented Yorkshire quartet following the breakthrough Polyawkward EP in 2022.
Fontaine’s lyrics reflect on growing up as a mixed-race individual in a place lacking tolerance to people who are different.
The debut album also addresses the post-Brexit landscape, speaking of a lack of belonging, while coping with anxiety and insecurities.
Lead singer, Lily Fontaine, commented: “I want this album to feel like you’ve gone to space and it turns out it’s almost identical to Doncaster. It’s about inbetweens, it’s about home, and it’s about Desire Paths.”
Lily continues, discussing the latest single: “When people ask where I’m from I usually say I’m mixed race: half Yorkshire, half Lancashire. It allows me to divert with comedy from the potential connotations of that question, which change wildly depending on who’s asking it.
“One end of Albert Road in Colne (her hometown) is cold, underfunded and uninspiring; the other is warm at night with live music. It sums up how I look back on the place I lived for 19 years.”
The Leeds band have also announced their biggest UK headline tour to date for Spring, with full tour dates listed below.
You can pre-order the new album, This Could Be Texas, here.
The tracklist is as follows.
TRACKLIST
01 – Albatross
02 – The World’s Biggest Paving Slab
03 – Broken Biscuits
04 – I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying
05 – Mastermind Specialism
06 – This Could Be Texas
07 – Not Everybody Gets To Go To Space
08 – R&B
09 – Nearly Daffodils
10 – The Best Tears Of Your Life
11 – You Blister My Paint
12 – Sideboob
13 – Albert Road
UK LIVE DATES
28th Jan – The Crescent, York
29th Jan – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
31st Jan – The Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees
1st Feb – Polar Bear, Hull
2nd Feb – Whereelse?, Margate
3rd Feb – Bedford Esquires, Bedford
8th May – Concorde 2, Brighton
9th May – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
10th May – Thekla, Bristol
11th May – Clwb lfor Bach, Cardiff
13th May – The Bullingdon, Oxford
15th May – The Foundry, Sheffield
16th May – Irish Centre, Leeds
17th May – Mash House, Edinburgh
18th May – King Tuts, Glasgow
21st May – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast
22nd May – Whelans, Dublin
24th May – Gorilla, Manchester
25th May – Castle and Falcon, Birmingham
28th May – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
29th May – Electric Brixton, London
…
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