Cloth

Formed by Glaswegian twin siblings Rachael and Paul Swinton, Cloth produces hauntingly sparse songs shaped by dream pop, post-rock, and indie influences. The duo's eloquent interplay of hushed vocals and minimalist guitars, along with the surrounding space, defined their 2019 self-titled debut and secured U.K. radio support, though the Swintons' sound kept developing. Issued as their first release on Rock Action, the Low Sun EP from 2022 presented a fuller yet restrained sonic palette that expanded further on the subsequent year's Secret Measure, an album capturing both the heightened drama and complexity in Cloth's music and its continued intimacy.

Rachael Swinton, handling vocals and guitar, joined her brother Paul on guitar to establish Cloth in 2016, then spent the following years refining their approach. Drawing equal influence from Cocteau Twins' lush dream pop and the moody restraint of the xx, they composed material that originated as phone notes before final tracking at Chem19 Recording Studio, a facility associated with Mogwai and Deacon Blue. Shortly after uploading their initial track, "Demo Love," Cloth secured a deal with the local indie Last Night from Glasgow, which issued the song officially in June 2018. Airplay across multiple BBC stations and host-curated programs followed for their next outing, "Tripp," which received a remix from producer Wuh Oh (Peter Ferguson), while late 2018's "Old Bear" marked their BBC Radio 1 debut. Live performances began that same year, encompassing support dates for Arab Strap, and they appeared on the BBC Music Introducing stage at Latitude Festival midway through 2019 before returning to the studio to complete their first full-length. The November release of Cloth earned critical acclaim, reached the shortlist for the Scottish Album of the Year Award, and attracted admirers such as Elbow's Guy Garvey. In 2020, "Old Bear" featured in the television adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People.

Midway through 2022, Cloth entered the roster of Mogwai's Rock Action label, which released the Low Sun EP that October. For their second album the duo chose to broaden their creative methods, enlisting outside producer Ali Chant for the first time and tracking at Bristol's Toybox Studio. Secret Measure, issued in May 2023, delivered a more layered and polished collection that highlighted the electronic foundations and straightforward songwriting within the pair's work.