My new favourite indie band is the Leeds quartet English Teacher, who formed in 2020, and consist of vocalist Lily Fontaine, guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost, and bassist Nicholas Eden. They have just released their debut album 'This Could Be Texas' to some acclaim from music critics, and after hearing it I was prompted to check out everything else that they had released up to that point, There isn't really that much, as although they've been together for four years they've only released a couple of singles and one EP, although few of those songs later appeared on the album. I've therefore collected them all together, along with a couple of tracks which they posted on Bandcamp, and which have since mysteriously disappeared, plus an exclusive recording for Jo Whiley's Sofa Sessions, and there is enough material for an extremely enjoyable companion album. 'You Won't Believe How Beautiful She Is When It Snowed' was later retitled 'Sideboob' and added to the album, but this is a completely different recording, as is the Theo Verney version of 'R&B', which also appeared on their debut, but the rest are all hard to find tracks from their early days. If you are partial to a bit of intriguing post-punk then give them a try, and if you like what you hear then get the album and support a promising up and coming new band.
Track listing
01 Valentine (demo 2018)
02 The Treacle Trap Door (single 2020)
03 You Won't Believe How Beautiful She Is When It Has Snowed (Bandcamp 2020)
04 R&B (Theo Verney version) (single 2021)
04 Wallace (b-side of 'R&B')
05 Polyawkward (from the 'Polyawkward' EP 2022)
06 A55 (from the 'Polyawkward' EP 2022)
07 Mental Maths (from the 'Polyawkward' EP 2022)
08 Yorkshire Tapas (from the 'Polyawkward' EP 2022)
09 Good Grief (from the 'Polyawkward' EP 2022)
10 Song About Love (single 2023)
11 New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down (Jo Whiley's Sofa Session 2024)
