Antony Szmierek

Manchester-based poet, writer, and producer Antony Szmierek today delights fans with the digital deluxe release of his critically acclaimed debut album, Service Station at the End of the Universe. Originally released earlier this year to a wave of five-star reviews, the expanded edition features fan-favourite singles ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fallacy,’ ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport,’ ‘Yoga Teacher,’ and ‘Angie’s Wedding,’ alongside two new tracks: ‘That Face You Make When It’s Raining’ and ‘Girlypops.’

LISTEN TO THE DELUXE ALBUM IN FULL

‘That Face You Make When It’s Raining’ is a guaranteed floor filler – a slick UK Garage anthem driven by infectious rhythm and groove. Featuring vocals from fresh Mancunian talent Yves Jones, the producer behind fan favourite ‘Rafters’, the song demonstrates Antony’s gift for turning sharp lyricism into deep, dancefloor poetry. As Antony explains,“A northern take on UKG. Loose, fun rhymes and punchlines about rain and Vimto set against the backdrop of an argument with a partner. Actually written in the carpark of ASDA Hulme as far back as three years ago.”

Meanwhile, ‘Girlypops’ finds Antony embracing his pop instincts, crafting a playful, singalong-ready track infused with throwback 90s vibes. Reflecting on the song, he says, “A blend of 90s indie and the vocal chops of Fat Boy Slim, a pop song that subverts the gender expectations around a ‘lads night out’ with a big singalong chorus. This came from the same session as Crumb and Crashing Up, but lost its place on the record to Yoga Teacher as it made the middle of the album too indie sounding. I wanted the album to feel almost like a compilation CD or mixtape in places, and I think this one nods to that feeling even more.”

HEAR ‘THAT FACE YOU MAKE WHEN IT’S RAINING’ + ‘GIRLYPOPS’

Service Station At The End Of The Universe is a bold fusion of dancefloor euphoria and introspective storytelling. Co-produced by Szmierek and his long-time collaborators Robin Parker, Max Rad, Louie Fulford-Smith and Yves Jones, Service Station At The End Of The Universe is a perfectly packaged collection of dancefloor poetry, with moments of downbeat, dark poignance.

Each of the singles from Service Station At The End Of The Universe has been added to BBC 6 Music’s playlist and received strong support from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, and Apple Music1. With the album’s release, Antony appeared on the cover of Dork (also making their Hype List), was named an Observer “Ones to Watch,” and featured in a two-page spread in The Observer Magazine. He has also been highlighted multiple times across major publications, including The Guardian, NME, DIY, Clash, and Notion.

Antony’s summer was packed with festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Eurosonic, SXSW, and Iceland Airwaves, among others, and he toured across the UK & Europe as support for Faithless, before embarking on a run of his own sold-out headline tour dates

The past few years have been a wild ride for the artist. Cutting his teeth on the Manchester spoken word scene and gaining notoriety for his seamless flow skewering everything from the hardships of contemporary British life to finding the unexpected beauty in the everyday, it was the 2023 release of his single ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Fallacy’ that kicked off his meteoric ascent. Set against the backdrop of a pounding kick drum and club-ready synths, Szmierek lets loose a stream of consciousness that lays out his vision of musical vulnerability and communal escapism: “Everything’s ironic now, post-post-punk. Take me away” he says on the track.

The earworming record soon found its way onto the BBC 6 Music airwaves and led Szmierek to be named an Artist of the Year 2023 by the station. There followed appearances on Later… with Jools Holland, a BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale session, multiple triumphant Glastonbury sets and a flurry of comparisons: to the pavement prose of The Streets, the poetry of John Cooper Clarke if he found himself at the Haçienda, or like Jarvis Cocker for the UK Garage generation. Yet, with the release of his 2023 indie-influenced EP Poems To Dance To and now his banger-filled, dancefloor-focused debut album, Service Station at the End of the Universe, Szmierek cements his sound as one that is distinctly his own.