‘People take the music industry way too seriously’: Meet Warmduscher, the UK’s most eccentric band

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. There’s an introduction from Scottish author Irvine Welsh, whom Baker met years ago at a gig in Miami, and whose deft, unsparing depictions of class, identity, substance abuse and society’s seedy underbelly pair wonderfully with Baker’s lyrics: “He’s Walt Clipper, the Midnight Dipper/ With a pocket full of grease and a finger on his zipper.” Recorded with his British bandmates Benjamin Romans Hopcraft, Adam Harmer, Marley Mackey, Quinn Whalley and Bleu Ottis Wright, and co-produced by Jamie Neville, Too Cold to Hold embodies what Warmduscher are all about: the clashing of cultures to create something new, exciting, and distinct. “There’s no preciousness when it comes to making decisions, compared to other situations I’ve been in where everyone’s egos are on the line.” Certainly, Baker and Hopcraft make for delightfully ego-free company. The track zigzags around an off-kilter beat, while Baker squawks: “Got yourself some new shoes/ 50 hours overtime/ Fashion week/ Can’t get no sleep”. “They take it so seriously,” he says, “and a lot of them don’t even seem to work in the fashion industry.” Writing the lyrics, Baker intentionally blunted his typically razor-sharp teeth.