Indie band English Teacher wins Mercury Prize for This Could Be Texas
5 September 2024, 21:24 | Updated: 5 September 2024, 21:46
The Indie band won the coveted award for the best British album of the year.
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Four-piece indie band English Teacher has won the 2024 Mercury Prize for their debut album This Could Be Texas.
The announcement was made by DJ Jamz Supernova during the award ceremony, which recognises the best British or Irish album of the year, at the Abbey Road Studios, on Thursday evening.
They beat competition from the likes of pop singer Charli XCX, Irish singer CMAT, rising star Cat Burns, and indie outfit The Last Dinner Party.
The band were lost for words after their win and said they “didn’t really plan this far”.
“We just thought we’d make a band,” said singer Lily Fontaine as she paid tribute to her bandmates.
After the announcement, the Mercury Prize judging team said: “This has been a really tough year for the Mercury Prize judges, with the final 12 albums being so reflective of our diverse & rich musical landscape.
"There was so much passion and enthusiasm for each one. In the end, though, we did agree that ‘This Could Be Texas’ by English Teacher stands out for its originality & 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.
"The Mercury Prize was set up to celebrate the album as an artistic format in its own right and all the judges agreed that this charismatic body of work deserves to be the 2024 Mercury Prize Album of the Year.”
The other shortlisted albums were:
- Barry Can't Swim - When Will We Land?
- BERWYN - Who Am I
- Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
- Cat Burns - Early Twenties
- Charli XCX - Brat
- CMAT - Crazymad, for Me
- Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows
- corto.alto - Bad With Names
- Ghetts - On Purpose, with Purpose
- Nia Archives - Silence Is Loud
- The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
