After their college days, most people settle with knowing that they’ll never manage to get more than one or two friends together at the same time for a dinner party. And if you do manage to assemble your squad for a birthday party, don’t try to get them to agree on what cake to have, let alone who should be president.
Why are the surprised when the musicians playing the support parts for famous musicians end up quitting, suing their former colleagues, and holding on to miserable rancour for the rest of their lives?
Washed Dryer have realised that the majority of the great bands were, really, a two-part collaboration. Even George had to go solo to get songs on a record. That’s why the NYC duo that makes up Washer Dryer have collected their favourite Fleetwood Mac records, their diary entries of life’s big choices, and have turned their synergy into the five-song EP “Washer.”
It’s Ok. They know what you’re thinking. New York duo making an indie record in 2025? Will listeners need to have their wardrobe selection and musical preferences stamped and approved before they can get in? Well, rest assured, this isn’t quite the hipster ball made to make you feel underdressed that you might expect.
It’s all kind of quiet, laid back and, well, very pretty. The homey, band-in-a-rehearsal-room vibe of the verses of “Baby baby baby” lead all the way to a chorus of vocal harmonies that are warmer and more pleasant than a Greek holiday in spring.
You’ll find similar support levels on the rest of the tracks. But that doesn’t mean that Washer Dryer live in a world founded on yoga, smoothies, and the absence of world news.
It’s all there, but the duo just refuse to despair. “Undertow” is a tune about being swallowed up whole by life, but it kind of sounds like an earthier version of The Go-Go’s. And there’s a great, confident, city-slicker vocal delivery that should keep glued for the entirety of “Not Like Yesterday,” possibly the EP’s finest moment.
Of course, many of the greatest rock artists came out of New York, or did their best work there. Few of them were hippies though. And while Washer Dryer’s music is laidback, this isn’t about selling false hope.
“City is an Animal” is a tune of regret about being caught up in the makeshift fairytale of urban living. But the words, once more, are made real by the fantastic ability of the singers to harmonize effortlessly.
Where does it all leave us? Staring at the fireworks from a distance and trying not to get too worked up. The confessional tone of “Oblivion,” with its lyrics about money worries and relationship troubles, are all packed together with the soft touch, pretty melodies and warm production that might’ve made you fall in love with pop music in the first place. The musicians of Washer Dryer aren’t hippies or nihilists. They’re just trying to make those kinds of records come to life again.
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