It opens with an energetic drum beat - a steady rhythm is kept and allows the listener to drift into a foreboding desert landscape where heady vocals ring out from a hazy sky above.
Sydney-based sister duo, Clews, are the orchestrators of this experience with their new single ‘Overluck’. Inspired by the carefree head-swinging sounds of pop-rock, Clews have taken the feelings associated with being unlucky in love and have turned them into an addictive indie rock anthem.
‘When the party slows down and the babies grow up / will I still die alone?’ Clews questions of themselves in each chorus. The track’s lyricism shows a vulnerability that makes listeners eager to listen to the end. An artist’s lyricism is something that is unique to them. Some prefer to spin metaphors and tie images together, while others prefer being straightforward and honest. Clews are the latter. In the case of ‘Overluck’, its raw lyricism allows listeners to enter the mind of Clews and hear their unfiltered thoughts. There’s no distractions, only pure human emotion.
“This song sets the theme for the EP: being lucky in life but unlucky in love. Songwriting is like sharing my feelings with myself, and I didn't realise how worried I was about being alone until I wrote this song. I reflect on being happy where I am in my life but wondering if I'm missing something because I've never been in love…” says Clews.
Sonically, the track is comprised of typical band instruments (drums, guitars etc) that are woven together into a surprisingly subdued pop-rock soundscape. At the same time, there’s a subtle sound floating in the background of each chorus. At first, we thought it may have been a classical string instrument. The violin was the one that came to mind. However, the song’s ending told us the truth. The floating sound was actually an electric guitar riff that had been subtly blended into the song’s backing sounds. When combined with the track’s vocals and other instruments and melodies, this intriguing addition allows ‘Overluck’ to become a sonic experience where the listener's imagination is given a choice.
Follow the heady voice beyond the horizon or sink further into the introspective minds of Clews? If this is the standard that the duo works with, then we know which choice we’d make.