Interview: Kate Clover
Discussing Her New Album, 'The Apocalypse Dream'
The Apocalypse Dream is timeless Los Angeles guitar pop.
With a hooky, high-energy sound built on a foundation of first wave LA punks like X and The Gun Club, Kate Clover and her ferocious band mix in modern indie and garage rock elements to unleash a truly explosive new collection of songs.
A lot of that is down to Clover’s undeniable songwriting skills. This is cinematic music that taps a familiar vein of heartbreak, angst and the drive to take the world on your own terms. It’s music you play while getting ready for a night out, and the ear worms still buzzing in your head when you stumble home at dawn.
“With the second record, I understood myself better as an artist. I wrote at least thirty songs and chose the best 10,” Clover told me for the interview below. “I find that I’m the biggest challenge while making an album. Meaning, I want to top myself and push things as hard as I can.”
The new album has been heralded with a series of stylish videos that bring the band’s classic cool aesthetic to life (like a snarling indie take on Parallel Lines-era Blondie).
“Music videos to me are an important component to songs. It’s amazing that you can create in another medium to share more of your vision of a song,” Clover said.
I was blindsided when the streaming algorithm’s first delivered Clover’s debut album, Bleed Your Heart Out, to me. I became such a fan of that collection that I secretly wondered if she could ever live up to the high expectations it set.
I’m thrilled to report that The Apocalypse Dream is a perfect follow up release from an artist and band that surpasses the hype. I expect to see this album on plenty of year-end “Best Of…” lists in December.
I caught up with Clover via email while she was somewhere in Texas at the beginning of a Spring tour. The new album arrives April 5 and it can’t get here soon enough.
Kate Clover Interview
The new album is fantastic! The title track is the exact combo of '70s punk energy and pop hooks your fans love. How did that one come together?
Kate Clover: Thank you! That’s exactly what it was influenced by and I’m happy that comes across. That song was written in the early stages of Covid. The news seemed stranger than fiction and I wanted to document the surreal tone life had taken on. It felt like I was listening to the broadcast of the apocalypse. That song was the inspirational blueprint of the whole record.
You announced the album with the single "Damage Control." Why was that the right track to lead with?
Kate Clover: That was a popular choice within the group of people I sent the record to. It was as simple as that. I always include a ballad or mellower song on each record I make. Those songs connect deeper to some people. I wanted to try leading with one of those this time around.
The second single is "Like A Domino," a real garage pop stomper that I can imagine going over great live. How many of these songs were written while you were on tour?
Kate Clover: I wish it was that easy to tailor make your set according to what you feel it needs. “Like a Domino” was written after a night out. I came home and wrote the chords and woke up and completed the lyrics. I heard a woman say she played him “like a domino” and thought the innuendo was incredible. That song is a good change of pace in our set. It’s easy to move to.
Every tour I learn more and more about playing live. The best part of touring is the chance to redeem yourself or experiment each night. I like to push myself. I wish I could play a show everyday. It’s truly a skill you need to work on as much as possible. I want to be the best, or the best I can possibly be!
"No More Romance" sounds and feels like a lost gem from an '80s John Hughes soundtrack. Any specific inspirations or influences for that one?
Kate Clover: A moment of vulnerability. I tend to write more coded and metaphorically, but one night I felt anxious and instead of freaking out I wrote that song. Art as therapy, who would’ve thought?!
Your latest single, “Here Comes The Love Bomb," is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Can you tell me a little about making that video?
Kate Clover: That video came together incredibly fast! We shot it and had it wrapped within one week. Sam Macon (the director) brought the vision of the song to life. It exceeded my expectations. I like how surreal it feels.
I could see "I Don't Care" fitting on Bleed Your Heart Out. In your mind, what are the differences between these two collections?
Kate Clover: Each record presented new challenges. On my first record, I was searching for my voice. I was at a crossroads in my life and threw myself out into the world. I needed to get lost to see what I could find.
I love how the guitars are front-and-center throughout the new album. Did you take a different approach to recording/mixing this time around?
Kate Clover: I’m glad you enjoy that! The guitar leads on my songs are part of the hooks. They’re melodic. I wanted them to be balanced with the vocals. Carlos De La Garza mixed the record and he is great at keeping the vocals on top of the mix without loosing any of guitars.
I wanted a boomier record. My new record has more dynamics than the first one sonically. Which makes sense to me because I was listening to more modern bands while writing this record. My ears changed and wanted a different sound.
You're currently in the middle of a Spring tour. How are the new songs sounding live? Any specific tracks getting a rise out of the crowds?
Kate Clover: Anytime you add new songs into your set it takes a few shows to figure out where to put them. “Here Comes The Love Bomb” is a mood shift in the crowd. Although fast, it grooves and it’s fun to see people move and bop to that one.
If I got in the van with the band, what would I listen to on the stereo?
Kate Clover: I listen to everything I can. Besides making music I’m an avid music fan. I find that to be important if you’re writing music. I meet a lot of artists who stop listening to music or just fall out of love with it.
Here are some artists we recently listened to: Ghetto Brothers, Max Romeo, The Searchers, WITCH, The Standells, Los Pao Paos, The Sound, Slade, split system, The Dogs (from Detroit, not to be confused with the French band), The Heat. And way, way, way more. Everyone in my band has excellent taste in music, that’s why they chose to play in my band.
Will definitely check this out.