(((O))) Interview: CLT DRP at ArcTanGent 2023

CLT DRP blends EDM, electro-punk and pop, drawing influences from a huge range of different sources. Jody Dunstan caught up with them at ArcTanGent for a chat about making music during a pandemic, stealing fans and growing as a band.

E&D: Is this your first ArcTanGent?

Annie: No, our second. We played in 2019.

E&D: So for the uninitiated, give us a bit of history, how you got here?

Scott: We’ve been around for six years.

Daphne: Yeah, five years now.

Annie: Five years now!

Scott: We met in Brighton, that magical city brought us together.

E&D: Got a little musical hotspot down there, right?

Daphne: Definitely.

Annie: All little freaks. Yeah. In the lunch cafeteria. Frightened! But yeah, we played our first time at ArcTanGent in 2019 and they had us back a few years later.

Daphne: Yeah, and we released our debut album in August 2020, so not a great time to release music at that point. 

Scott: Not the best year. So we had a bit of a setback in that area. But yeah, everybody did.

E&D: I think the pandemic either broke people or sparked spontaneous creativity. Introverts shutting in their bedrooms had to make music!

Annie: I think if the pandemic hit when we were just starting, it might have felt a bit more daunting.

Daphne: We just started to go forward and there was a huge pause.

Annie: Yeah, a pause basically for a bit. But yeah, we’re back on track now. We’ve been very busy this year, kicking around Europe and the UK, doing festivals and stuff. We’re releasing our second album on the 8th of September (Nothing Clever, Just Feelings on Venn Records)

E&D: You mentioned the European tour. What’s the reaction been like in Europe?

Annie: Pretty good.

Daphne: Yeah, pretty good. We’re very lucky. I think we did our very first headline one in May 2022.

Annie: I think so. we did a few support slots with Cassels as well. Then the second time in the EU was with a Dutch band, De Staat, we were supporting.

Annie: Really cool band, and we’re playing to bigger crowds, so, yeah, the Europeans just turn up, literally, we’re opening and playing to a full room. Oh yeah, especially in Germany. We were really lucky, going down really well in Germany.

E&D: I do hate it when people don’t turn up for support. Yeah. The number of bands I’ve discovered through support sets, you know what I mean?

Annie: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

E&D: So, regarding your new album, what are we gonna hear? Is it similar?

Scott: Yeah, it’s a bit of a mix of some of our older sounds and then new, current sounds as well. I’d say it’s probably a little bit more accessible than our earlier stuff, like from our first album. Probably not quite as exhausting (laugh). Yeah, maybe, maybe slightly less dissonant.

E&D: Chaotic was the word that I had in my head. Yeah, In the best possible way, you know?

Scott: I think they’ve all got their sonic identity and it just kind of works quite well because people nowadays get bored of the same sound quite quickly. So, well, we’re hoping that works anyway. People are saying, “No, this is jumping around too much and it sucks” (laugh). Um, hopefully it’ll be good, yeah.

E&D: Hopefully. You’ve supported quite a few different types of bands. Do you find that certain fans take to you more than others? Or do you, you kind of hard to pitch yourself so much, you know what I mean? 

Annie: We feel like we pinch fans from each genre. Do you know what I mean? So, it’s like, you get like the people that like our message from other genres. You get the people that really like will look at Scott’s pedalboard and be like, “What the fuck is that?” and nerd out or that. And then you get people that like just watch Daphne: and they’re like, “Holy shit, she’s the best drummer in the world” (laugh).

People pick and choose what they like from it, you know? And like, I think aesthetically and like message-wise and like attitude-wise, that’s kind of where we’re going with lineups.

E&D: I kind of think people, there’s always this kind of old theme, wasn’t there, about metalheads being gatekeepers and stuff. I think people are a bit more open-minded than that now

Annie: Our small bar tour actually, we got a lot of fans from that, and we didn’t expect to. That was with Svalbard and Heriot. 

Annie: Wow, yeah, some of the most unexpected people

Scott: People that’s proper metal, wasn’t it? 

Annie: Yeah. And we were like, what are we doing on this bill? And then like, people were awesome. They bought merch and they showed up, you know, showed up early too.

Scott: I think it’s wicked. Like, what I quite like about sharing the stage with these different acts, when you play with a metal band like that, you probably think, “Right, I remember you were a bit like, I need to get my scream out”.

But then we’re like, play with Tokky Horror and we’re like, right, we need to go mad on stage or like you sort of get inspired by other acts, you know as well.

E&D: Just kind. So you’re borrowing fans and energy from the other bands? (laugh).

Scott: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

E&D: So you’ve been together a few years, your creative process. Has that kind of changed over time? Or is it still the same?

Annie: Yes, we’re pretty much the same. I think we’ve honed it in a little bit though. Like, when we first started writing, like me specifically, I would be like, I’m just gonna sing over this and do my thing, whereas now we speak to each other a lot more in the room, like, we’ll actually write more together and ask each other what we think. Whereas before we kind of like, this is my part, I’m gonna write my part. And now we’re like, oh, what do you think about this?

Annie: Yeah, exactly. That’s kind of gotten better, you know?

E&D: I was thinking if you sort of, as you get to know each other, maybe you can kind of push each other a bit more without worrying that you’re gonna upset somebody?

Annie: Definitely the relationship is like family. Like you’re able to say how you honestly feel about this and have that conversation. You know? You take more risks.

Scott: I think our view on production has also changed a lot. We realise how important it is to have someone on our side and also push us in that field as we can lack that. So that’s something on this album, that production is incredible, and that changed a lot and made us inspired.

E&D: Well, it was interesting you mentioned this ’cause I interviewed Serena (Cherry, Svalbard) yesterday, and she said the producer is so important in making sure that, you know, capturing not just the sound but the ethos of the band.

Scott: It’s kind of everything really. Like the songs can be there, the melodic ideas or that, but we’re so overwhelmed by how much that affects us. Just the production value. Like it’s everything, isn’t it? 

Annie: Yeah. Like a hundred percent, sometimes you just need someone who’s not three of us to be like, that’s working or not working. When we started this album, actually, our friend Alex Gordon, who did the album, we were all a bit like, do we like these songs? We were really in our heads about it. And then he came into a rehearsal room and he was like, these are incredible. We can work with this. But like, we kind of needed that a little bit. Not that you should look for outer validation, but just someone to be like, I see what you’re doing.

E&D: If you’re in your own little bubble, right? You’re gonna go, “oh, this stuff’s amazing…”

Daphne: I think he came from a time when we were like, from the third lockdown or whatever it was when we booked the studio for like a week and we were just in there writing, not being able to gig. Normally we write something, we try it out live at a show and we’re like, is this working? Is the crowd reacting? Yeah. That would be like our confirmation of, oh, let’s leave that. Try and change it. So we were stuck in this rehearsal room writing. We were like, yeah, I mean, we think it’s cool, but then we almost, like, are we overthinking this? Then Alex said like, “These are incredible. We can work with this.” And just getting the confirmation you need, basically.

E&D: So if you could give advice to artists or bands, young bands starting out, what would it be?

Annie: I’d say go to shows. Start off by going to shows, attend as many as you can. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into a genre and meet people. Turn up for the support. Yeah. That was really though, like, that’s where you get your fire from. When you lose that kind, you do get stuck in your own head a little bit. We went to a lot of shows when we were younger, and we were also lucky enough to be at a university that had that as well. But like, I think that’s really important when you start going, you know, making your scene thrive so you feel challenged and you feel excited. 

Scott: I playing as many shows as possible, not really caring what the lineups are and stuff like that. 

E&D: Just kind of go out and do it and not worry about details?

Scott: Yes, because you’re finding it out yourself. It’s you know, you might have some cool ideas in the house with it, but it constantly evolves live as well. So, yeah, just, get doing as much as you can, and like I say, when it comes to recording, you’re never gonna know unless you’re extremely lucky. That’s never gonna be learned overnight. So just like that’s a constant, but it’s an ever-evolving thing, you know, you always take things, like you cherry-pick from like you did before. So yeah, it’s a constant work in progress basically.

Annie: Don’t be afraid to ask for help too. I feel like when I was younger, it was a really big pride thing of being like, I don’t wanna ask because I don’t wanna look stupid. Whereas like now, oh God, I wish I asked so many more questions!

E&D: You know people are often happy to help though, aren’t they? Especially if like, because everyone’s been through the same thing. 

Annie: Exactly, yeah. People wanna talk. They love talking, like people love to talk. 

E&D: Well, one last question from me. Anyone you want to give a shoutout to? Anyone that we should be listening to?

Annie: Tokky Horror

Scott: Enola Gay

Annie: Uh, Heriot, I mean they’re killing it anyway. (Laugh), they don’t need a shoutout!

Scott: De Staat.

Annie: Oh yeah, Snakes. De Staat blew my mind. Yeah.

Scott: Like compared to us, they’re like accomplished (laugh). They’re really that accomplished band. 

Annie: But um, and they’re all lovely people. They’re still kind of underground in certain areas, so like yeah, if you haven’t spotted them, definitely check ’em out. They’re on the same booking as us, and they’re incredible. So if you could look at them, they’re awesome.