Leeds-based indie rock band English Teacher have won this year’s Mercury Music Prize with their impressive debut album, This Could Be Texas, which was released this April.
The band, originally called Frank when they played gigs in 2018, started playing their first shows as English Teacher in 2020. The band comprises singer Lily Fontaine, guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost, and bassist Nicholas Eden. They released their first single, R&B, in 2021 before releasing the EP, Polyawkward, in April 2022 via Nice Swan Records.
In January of this year, the band announced the release of their debut album, which arrived a few months later. English Teacher have been described as an “art-punk” group, with flashes of post-punk, shoegaze, and delightful pop melodies in their music.
This Could Be Texas was shortlisted among albums by Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party, Nia Archives, Beth Gibbons, and more.
Upon announcing the band’s victory at this year’s award ceremony, 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova said (per NME): “In the end, though, we did agree that ‘This Could Be Texas’ by English Teacher stands out for its originality and character.
“A winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation, alongside a subtle way of wearing its musical innovations lightly, displays a fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format. ‘This Could Be Texas’ reveals new depths on every listen; the mark of a future classic.”
Supernova continued, “The Mercury Prize was set up to celebrate the album as an artistic format in its own right. All the judges agreed that this charismatic body of work deserves to be the 2024 Mercury Prize Album of the Year.”
When the band accepted the award, they looked in shock and didn’t have a pre-written speech. Lily Fontaine declared, “We just thought we’d make a band.”
When the nominations for this year’s Mercury Music Prize were announced in July, the band said of their nomination: “How do you even caption that x”.
