Last year’s Disneyland in Dagenham gave us ten fascinating crank wave tunes that we haven’t tired of yet, but already Scott Lavene is back with ten more unique songs, centered around Cars, Buses, Bedsits and Shops (the album title says it all). The new record features more crooning than spoken word, mainly captured in tender ballads with laughter and tears, making a punk-funk outlier like Cars stand out even more.

Once again the idiosyncratic British singer-songwriter delivers amazing storytelling—sharp, funny, and just a little bit tragic. The grit isn’t gone, but overall there’s warmth and ache here, a little more polished, but still unmistakably Scott Lavene. Listen to A Bus In July, the beautiful, true love story about meeting what would become his wife, when least expecting it, tongue-tied: “You’re a man of few words, aren’t you?” She will know better by now, as we all do.

Cars, Buses, Bedsits and Shops—created in a five-day session, produced by Stew Jackson—is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Nothing Fancy. Also featuring Ryan Rogers.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Scott Lavene