An off-hand comment from a friend three years ago inspired alt-country singer-songwriter Clint Wilson to pen his new single, 'People Don't Think Like Us'.
"My ideas for songs usually come from lines that I hear people say. I'll jot them down as notes then sit down with a guitar and see what comes, what it sparks," Clint explains."I was talking to another musician about bands charging stupidly low prices for gigs. I was saying it's not fair and I think he said it: 'People don't think like us.'
"That probably took three years to come out, but every now and then you get a feeling. That's a huge part of getting the song started."
From that idea, Clint used his gift for storytelling to craft a song about change and how thinking differently than those around you isn't always a bad thing.
"I wrote it a few years ago about my drummer," he says. "He and his wife have always lived in and around the city, then moved out to the country.
"They fitted in straight away, but I think the way they thought about things was a bit different. It's loosely based on them, standing on the verandah with a cup of tea, looking around and scoping out the place."
Clint co-wrote the song with Coffs Harbour artist Billie-Jo Porter and worked with his friend Callum Barter (Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile) to record and produce 'People Don't Think Like Us' in a studio he helped Callum build.
"I was over in the States just after Christmas in LA on a family holiday and I helped a friend of mine Callum Barter build a home studio just before lockdown," Clint recalls.
"I had plans to go out and catch up and check out the finished space and thought: 'Why not record a song?' It was such a good day, back in the studio making music with good people, it started to feel like normal again."
'People Don't Think Like Us' is Clint's first new music since releasing his sophomore album 'A Death In The Family' in 2020.
Without the ability to fully tour and promote the album during the pandemic, Clint feels like the release became lost in the chaos of lockdowns and mass show cancellations.
"It feels a bit – I'm not sure wasted is the right word for it, but because we couldn't tour it or anything it does feel like it just went out, then nothing," he says.
"I'm sure a few people enjoyed it but maybe the reach wasn't as well as if we weren't in a lockdown. I don't know if I had my time over if I'd wait maybe and release it afterwards."
Bolstered by his new single and the prospect of performing live again, Clint is putting the trouble of the past two years behind him and focussing on creating his next full-length album, hatching plans to again enlist the help of Callum.
"He's such a good dude and it's so much fun making music with him," Clint says. "I think we're heading over in September to finish off an album with him."
Although Clint has developed a reputation for heartfelt melancholy in his songwriting, for his third album he says he's looking to move beyond the sombre moodiness and sad songs of his previous releases.
"It's definitely going to be more upbeat than the past two albums, they've been a bit on the sadder side," he says with a laugh.
"I think I've gotten all those sad stories out of my system, and it's maybe a bit rockier than the past two albums as well.
"The album is pretty much written; I've been writing a lot with Billie-Jo Porter, and she's doing some really cool stuff that's definitely worth checking out."
With a trusted producer and a crafty collaborator on his team, Clint is looking forward to what happens once they all start working on the new album together in the studio.
"I think making music like that – going into the studio with a rough demo, don't work on it too much and just see what happens, then trying to capture the magic – there's a really special vibe that goes along with that," he says.
Since releasing his debut album 'Dark Water' in 2018, Clint has found himself entrenched in the blossoming, though broadly defined, alt. country scene.
It's a convenient labelling for Clint, allowing him the latitude to branch out with his new music to incorporate different musical styles. "I struggle finding what genre I fit in; alt. country just covers such a big area I suppose," Clint says.
"It's good. You'll go into Brunswick or in and around Melbourne and there'll always be someone, and someone you know, from the Americana family. Everyone's friends and it's great. It's a really healthy scene in and around the city areas."
'People Don't Think Like Us' is available now.
