Grubby Mitts

Grubby Mitts are an art house pop ensemble based in Bedford, U.K. Their music was initially associated with the art and performances of Andy Holden, who is known for his multi-media installations, films and sculptures, but the project expanded, and with the release of the debut album, transformed into a fully formed band, staging concerts throughout Britain and Europe.

The Grubby Mitts sound is precarious, tender pop, often cloaked under elaborate structures or unusual sound worlds, incorporating domestic objects, electronics, and brass section. Lyrically the band deploy often simple motifs that loop, or fragmented, disjunctive notational writing. The songwriting is shared between Holden and Illingworth, with Illingworth adding elaborate musical arrangements.

The band’s sensibility is linked to their teenage manifesto written in 2003 by Holden and Illingworth that advocated “Maximum Irony! Maximum Sincerity”, and the notion that art should be both ironic and sincere at the same time. The Grubby Mitts’ music fulfils the promise, frequently shifting genre or layering simple phrases, subtly navigating around cliche until a new, life affirming, tone is found.

The Grubby Mitts released their debut album What The World Needs Now Is in 2015. The singles ‘To a Friend’s House the Way is Never Long’, ‘Music of Exhaustion’ and ‘Worm of Eternal Return’ were all played on BBC 6Music and the album picked up radio play across Europe.

PS: The dub tracks are by someone else!