Melbourne-via-London singer-songwriter CLOVES last month released her debut studio album, 'One Big Nothing'.
The album release comes in the wake of a stellar year of live performances for the young artist, including sets at major US festivals like Panorama and XpoNential as well as supporting Greta Van Fleet and touring with The Rubens on their recent 'Never Ever' regional Australian tour.
Several singles have already been taken from 'One Big Nothing', the most recent being 'Hit Me Hard', which has CLOVES getting deeply personal about breaking away from a doomed relationship.
What can you tell us about your debut album, 'One Big Nothing'?
Well, the record took me two and half years to make, in which time I turned myself inside out to try and understand my mind, and [I] went through a lot of challenges as an artist, but also as a young person that was kind of feeling lost in herself.
Like anyone going through change, whether that's finishing school or a new job, the uncertainty is scary and the lessons are hard, but once you get through them you come out the other side with a new skill set and a stronger sense of self. I’m proud of 'One Big Nothing' as it's me in my rawest form lyrically and my most meticulously analytical self: musically and sonically.
As your debut album, what did you set out to achieve with it?
I’m definitely an ambitious person and I set out to make something that I could be genuinely proud of, which is positive and negative. That mindset keeps me driven, but also comes with a lot of self-criticism. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so it took me a really long time to get the album to a place where I could feel good about it.
Did your songwriting style or approach change much while you were making the album?
The process throughout making the record stayed pretty consistent. I did a lot of the writing on the album with a composer named Justin Parker; we would spend a couple of days writing together and then I would bring the core demo of the song into the studio on my iPhone 5; then from there we’d work on the sonics and arrangement, basically build from the ground up.
'Hit Me Hard' is the latest single to be taken from the album? What is the song about?
Well 'Hit Me Hard' is about the defining last moments in a relationship. We’d been emotionally shut off from each other for awhile and it was starting to take its toll. We couldn’t be around each other without finding the other frustrating.
I’d gone out to the pub one night for a couple of drinks with friends and when I got home we just started arguing, that's when it all boiled over. I said to him hit me with something real, tell me what you’re actually thinking because I can’t be a part of this act any more; that's the inspiration behind it.
Is there a song on the album that's more important to you as an artist than the others?
I think 'Up & Down' is a really vulnerable and important song to me. It's like feeling when you wake up in the morning [and] you don’t know how you’re going to feel, whether there's going to be a cloud over your head or not, and struggling to deal with the inconsistency.
How did you enjoy your time on the road with The Rubens?
It was great, lovely to be back playing in Australia and touring with the guys. I got up each night to duet with them and they let me drink there rider lol.
Any potential collaborators you're keen to work with on another project?
I mean so many. I'd love to collaborate with Kevin Parker or Moby – if you’re reading this I’m available.
When will you be on tour in Australia?
I think I'll be back touring in Australia in December, just in time for summer :)
