Start Listening To: Cat Clyde

We caught up with Cat Clyde ahead of her new album Down Rounder.

Clyde's latest release Down Rounder is her first proper solo album since 2019's Hunters Trance, and it's clear that the Canadian singer-songwriter has been plenty busy in the interim. In 2020 Clyde released Good Bones, an acoustic reimagining from her 2017 debut Ivory Castanets, and last year she collaborated with fellow country artist Jeremie Albino for the captivating Blue Blue Blue. With millions of streams across platforms, Down Rounder is shaping up to be Clyde's most widely-received album yet.

Recorded in just six days at the renowned Sound City studios in Los Angeles with producer Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney), the album radiates an intimate, electrifying energy. Clyde's malleable voice and introspective, poetic lyrics draw a direct connection between the human soul and the environment, captivating listeners with its organic beauty.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and something about the music you make?

My name is Cat Clyde, I'm from Perth County Ontario.  I write songs inspired by my life, the natural and unnatural world.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it?

Grounded, intimate, strong, and gentle.

We love your new single I Feel It. Can you tell us more about the lyrics? 

I am writing about the struggles and delights of feeling a lot from my environment around me and within me.

How are you feeling about the release of your upcoming album Down Rounder?

I feel in high spirits about releasing this record.  There was an enormous amount of love and hard work to get this completed and prepared to fly out. I feel very proud of the work and am joyous to share it.

How did the recording experience for Down Rounder differ from when you recorded Hunters Trance?

They were two very different experiences.  Hunters Trance was completed in two separate studios with two separate producers and different musicians.  Down Rounder began as a home studio record, and ended as a full studio record - recorded at Sound City Studios with Tony Berg in 6 days.

What was the most difficult part of creating the album?

There was in in-between time before I knew I would finish the record at Sound City, and just as I was tearing down my home studio that was very difficult.  I didn't know how it was going to be completed and felt a huge amount of pressure and ungroundedness.  

How have you seen your sound evolve from Ivory Castanets to Down Rounder?

I feel I have and continue to evolve all the time.  My music taste and feel has deepened, my palate has developed and my understanding of myself and what feels best to me has deepened.  My writing has become more honest and artful and I've let go of a lot of ideas and beliefs that used to weigh me down.

How does the natural environment around you inform your writing?

The natural environment informs my writing all the time.  It is always a place that is both comforting and expansive for me.  The natural world is such a deep well of understanding and truth.  There are so many patterns, lessons, and poetry in the natural world.  Nothing makes me feel connected and glad to be alive like the natural world does.

What themes and messages are you hoping to convey through Down Rounder? 

I'm expressing a lot of themes of change and adriftness. Moving through time and navigating the highs and lows of the experience.

What do you hope listeners take away from your album?

I hope they take from it whatever they need from it.  Music has always been a great healer and friend for me, and I hope the record can be that for whoever it resonates with.

Name an artist you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why?

I've been listening to a bit of Neutral Milk Hotel which I listened to a lot when I was younger.  The song engine has been inspiring me lately and has been a good friend advising me to keep rolling on.

What do you love right now?

Big sky, old trees, miso soup, thick moss, no fences, stars at night, candles, peace and quiet.

What do you hate right now?  

Cold hard floors, no afternoon sunlight, expectations, not enough sleep, the smells of city

Are there any releases you’re looking forward to in 2023?

I believe Timber Timbre is releasing a new record this year which I am very excited about.