Interview: Claud on their debut album 'Super Monster'.

"I'm turning twenty-one in a couple months, and I heard that life gets easier," proclaims Claud on their earnest and heartfelt debut album, 'Super Monster'. As the very first artist to be signed to Phoebe Bridgers' record label, Saddest Factory Records, 'Super Monster' is subsequently also the first release for the newborn label.

We spoke with Claud about love, pitch-shifts, sweating on the subway, and more...

COUP DE MAIN: In 'Overnight' you sing, "All the time spent with you in my head." Do you think that we have a tendency to create situations in our mind, and construct versions of people that they can never live up to?
CLAUD: Absolutely! There have definitely been times when I’ve over romanticised a moment and then when it actually happens, I’m like, oh wait...

CDM: You also say: "But everything feels better when you jump right in." What is there about that allure of diving into something so quickly with your emotions? Is it the rush that it causes?
CLAUD: I think rushing in is good sometimes because you don’t have time to overthink or question anything.
 
CDM: Is there a lyric on 'Super Monster' that you're most proud of?
CLAUD: One of my favorite lyrics that I wrote for the record is, “I heard that life gets easier, hope this shit gets breezier,” because people always said to me as the outcast growing up that life would be so much better when I get older, but now that I’m older, life is a bit better but I still have so much stupid shit to deal with. 
 
CDM: 'In Or-In-Between' touches on a struggle that I think so many people have with a burgeoning relationship, where there's so much confusion about what the other person wants: "Can you spell it out for me?". Why do you think that we all tend to struggle so much with communication in these beginning stages of a relationship?
CLAUD: Nerves! When you really like someone, they make you nervous. At least for me, I get so scared to do or say something to mess it up, or even worse, get the wrong idea and find out the person isn’t actually in to me. 

CDM: The pitch-shifted vocals on 'Guard Down' are so cool - what was it about that song that made you want to experiment with your voice in that way?
CLAUD: I pitch down my vocals a few different times throughout 'Super Monster'. It almost feels like an alter ego and brings out a different, more confident side of me that’s a bit more bold and honest.

CDM: The end of that song has you singing acoustically, "There's nothing like a New York summer." What are some of the key parts that make up a New York summer to you?
CLAUD: Picnics in the park, rooftop parties, watching dogs at the dog park, sweating on the subway.

CDM: Important question: Do you prefer Pepsi over Coke?
CLAUD: I like either one, I swear I can not tell the difference...

CDM: You call yourself a 'fool' in a few different songs on the album ('Overnight' and 'Pepsi'). What do you think it is about love that has that effect on you, where you feel foolish?
CLAUD: Having feels for someone can be embarrassing sometimes for no reason… it’s the same reason why someone can make you blush or get all shy. 

CDM: Do you have any particular memories from recording 'Falling With The Rain' with your Shelly bandmates, Josh, Claire, and Noa?
CLAUD: We actually recorded that song virtually! All of the Shelly songs have been done basically over text so far.

CDM: You told us in our last interview that you think you: "Take each heartbreak, or unrequited love, as a learning experience. And thinking of it less of a loss and more of a gain in something you can get better from." What do you think are the most important lessons you've learnt about love in the last few years?
CLAUD: Love creeps up on you when you least expect it to. I’ve also learned to not have any expectations. And most of all don’t forget to tell them you love them whenever you get the chance to!
 
Claud's album 'Super Monster' is out now - watch the 'Soft Spot' music video below: