I couldn’t really tell you when Dignan Porch began life, they seem to have been around the London DIY-scene for as long as I can remember. Courtesy of a string of early psych-pop home recordings and energetic live shows, they gained something of a cult reputation for their genre-blending sound and quiet-loud dynamics. They’ve released records via something a whos-who of the indie-label world while keeping their DIY roots alive. Now based out of Manchester, and ostensibly the project of a single creative force, Joe Walsh, Dignan Porch will kick off 2023 with a brand-new record Electric Threads, released February 3rd via a triumvirate of excellent labels Safe Suburban Home (UK), Hidden Bay Records (EU) & Repeating Clouds (US). Ahead of that release, today Joe is premiering the accompanying video for the album’s sparkling title track.

Electric Thread was the result of the strange experience of trying to make new friends in a new town when you’re in your 30s, Joe taking a slot in a shared practice space in the Northern Quarter, where the album came to life. Despite its roots in reaching outward, for the actual recording process Joe did almost everything himself, recording to a Tascam Portastudio, and playing everything, apart from a few remote parts from his brother and long-time bandmate, Sam.

Listening to Electric Thread, it’s in many ways classic Dignan Porch, driving drum rhythms, cut through with meandering-guitars and choppy synth chords, a fusion of lo-fi sensibilities and a way with a pop-hook. It’s a sound that seems to blur the lines between genres, a touch of Elvis Depressedly-like sad core, a bit of Ultimate Painting-style psych-folk, and a whole load of whatever synapses are sparking in Joe’s ever-creative mind. It’s a sparkling return, and as for Dignan Porch’s future, well don’t expect this journey to end anytime soon, “making music is a compulsion I don’t see ending, it’s one of the few things in life I don’t have to force myself to do”, and for everyone’s sake lets hope that feeling lasts a long time yet.

Out February 3rd, Electric Threads is available to preorder on vinyl now from Safe Suburban Home (UK), Hidden Bay (EU) and Repeating Cloud (US). For more information on Dignan Porch visit https://dignanporch.com/.