Baxter Dury – It's A Pleasure

BAXTER DURY DESCRIBES this album as like a “soundtrack to a film about a doomed submarine”. Certainly not a lot happens in its minimalist 33 minutes. Each track employs a different variation on a naïve, early Depeche Mode synth-pop beat, over which a keyboard melody bloops and Dury whispers forlornly about a missed romantic opportunity or existential let-down. A mood of regret prevails, from opener Pleasure’s “How did it feel when we were wiser?” onwards. But what makes it delightful is the tension between Dury’s dull, wistful delivery and co-singer Fabienne Debarre’s light, catchy chorus melodies, like a two-person Human League, irreconcilable souls locked in a jail yard of unhappy man-woman union. Other Men’s Girls is the undoubted highlight, while throwaway gems like “Ferrero Rocher prostitutes / Primark debutantes in boots,” underscore Baxter’s subtle lyrical élan. Watch the videos for Palm Trees and Pleasure below: