Hometown heroes of the indie wave, London’s Tugboat Captain, have issued their latest single, “Nothing Embarrassing.” This song is in one breath, dripping with muted extravagant gorgeousness and then quietly tugging at the soul in the next. Taken from their upcoming record, “Dog’s Tale,” to be released in April, this single represents the band’s transformation into a more laid-back polished version of themselves.
“Nothing Embarrassing” unspools from its first notes like a daydream, drifting between wistful lyricism and an entrancing melodic pulse. The instrumentation is delicate but purposeful, everything placed with a casual precision that matches the effortless feel of the song. A warmth here, a feeling of familiarity cloaked in new textures, indicates that Tugboat Captain is as adept as ever in steering their sound with regained comfort and confidence.
What’s magical about the track is that it can encroach meaningfully. Though the rhythm remains subdued, a subtle groove surges underneath, gently drawing you along. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t demand your attention but welcomes you into its world and lets the melodies sink in like an old favorite sweater.
Lyrically, Tugboat Captain creates another case of their clever, emotive storytelling. The words tumble out with wry, almost conversational ease, and there’s poetry in the simplicity and an unspoken depth between the lines. It’s a song that expresses a tranquil moment of reflection in which everything is both permanent and impermanent simultaneously.
With “Nothing Embarrassing,” Tugboat Captain reasserts that their gifts are in the details, the crevices between the notes, the conversations of chords and feelings, and how they can make the intimate feel global. With excitement surrounding “Dog’s Tale,” this new cut provides a captivating insight into what’s to come in their next chapter.
