Dirty Nice

"charming off-kilter melodies and classic songwriting chops. It's the pair's visual identity that stands them apart however" The FADER 

“weird and wonderful” i-D | “Now Hear This” The Independent 

“vivid synth pop” The Times | “whimsical, playful” MTV | "upbeat wave of enthusiasm" DORK 

“glorious, strange, and downright addictive” The Line of Best Fit | “pop gems” DIY 

Off-beat alt-pop duo Dirty Nice return with their first new music of 2023 in spirited double-A release ‘This Is Gonna Hurt’ and ‘Sophie, What’s Up?’. Typical of their established whimsical oeuvre, the one-two punch ushers listeners back into their technicolour world - existing on the line between earthy personal endeavours and cartoonish uncanniness. 

Dirty Nice is ‘Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’ composer Charlie Pelling’s musical project, with Lisbon based artist Mark Thompson. Pelling is fast becoming the go to composer in the UK comedy scene working with the likes of 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Sam Campbell and BAFTA winner Jamie Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats, Fleabag). 

In an age where every band/artist has to also be a content creator Charlie & Mark decided to lean into their interests of cartoons and comedy. In the last year they have amassed a cult online following into the hundreds of thousands across Tiktok and Reddit for their creative animations, further expanding the weird and wonderful world of Dirty Nice that all began with the music.  

‘This Is Gonna Hurt’ leads the release, accompanied by a video meshing together the aforementioned bizarro animated world with human warmth. As the two-piece describe: 

“’This Is Gonna Hurt’ is a love song about the vulnerability of falling in love and accepting that in opening yourself up to someone you’re also opening yourself up to a particularly potent form of pain. It’s worth the risk though, right? ... right?!” 

‘Sophie, What’s Up?’ takes this foggy fumbling in the relationship sphere to its origins. As the two-piece describe:  

“‘Sophie, What’s Up?’ was actually a song I wrote when I was 18 about my then girlfriend. It’s about being young and confused in love, having a good ol’ time despite the subtle feeling that maybe you’re not quite right for each other. But you love and you learn! That’s what young love is for, right? ...right?!”

2021's debut album Lobster won the band fans across all media, with critical acclaim at press (MTV, i-D, The Independent, The Times, Notion, Wonderland, Complex, DIY, Clash, DORK Magazine, The Line of Best Fit) and radio (Jack Saunders on Radio 1, Steve Lamacq, Chris Hawkins on BBC 6 Music). Even Florence Pugh has come out as a fan of Dirty Nice while speaking on the VOGUE podcast. 

Tours with Dâm Funk, Elder Island, Cousin Kula and collaborations with Wet Leg - who contributed backing vocals to their ‘Sunshine End Times’ single - as well as Desta French and Bad Sounds have also expanded their horizons along the way.