A Grunge-Pop Spark: CLEVER GIRLS – Constellations

Clever Girls – Constellations LP is available at Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp.

by Walter Price

Since many review reading folks love some comparisons, I’ll start by saying that, if you’re a fan of Lana Del Rey, Aldous Harding, and the crunch of L7, then you’ll find something to fall for on the recent Constellations LP from Burlington’s Clever Girls. A soft until it gets ruff album full of regret, introspection, and grit, this set is a surprise around every sonic corner. Just as one gets lulled into a sense of understanding by vocalist Diane Jean’s breezy delivery, the heavy power of Winfield Holt’s guitar, Tobias Sullivan bass, and Rob Slater drums smash in to let you know that you haven’t fully been paying attention.

In an interview with American Songwriter, Jean speaks about how guilt, shame, fear, and love played a part in writing this stunning LP, “On this record, those things are definitely more active. In previous records, I think there was a lot of after-the-fact processing going on, and with this record [I’m] digging deep into things that are more challenging for me to talk about. [The writing period] was late 2018 through 2020. It was sort of all written as I was coming out as queer and non-binary, so I think you get a lot of references to those ideas.”

Clever Girls, this album, and all the truths along the way coupled with all the brilliant let-the-songs-breath production make this release, hand-down one of the Top Indie Rock albums of 2021, so far. And you can stream this once-in-a-lifetime spark of perfection as well as the band’s Top Spotify Tracks, now at the GTC.

CLEVER GIRLS – Constellations

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“At night, perhaps after Diane Jean has finished digging through dead people’s stuff, you may find their band, writing. Between running a vintage store and pressing records at a local Record Plant, Diane founded Clever Girls- a quartet formed in the drunken masses of Burlington, Vermont that creates sorrowful, confused rock.” – band bio

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