Last month, we shared the news of Josienne Clarke‘s highly anticipated new album A Small Unknowable Thing, which sees her taking back complete control of her music from the ground up… songwriting, arranging, producing, release schedule and musical direction. There’s an incredible resilience and newfound freedom at play here alongside an honesty that’s reflected in the diverse array of influences she specifically mentions in the album’s press: Adrianne Lenker’s ‘Hours Were The Birds’, IDLES’ ‘Colossus’, Radiohead’s ‘Airbag’ to Phoebe Bridgers ‘Garden Song’, The Beastie Boys’ ‘Remote Control’ and Sandy Denny’s ‘Listen, Listen’. While all of these touchstones help shape the musical ideas across the album’s 14 tracks, appropriately described as a vast musical collage of anger and hope, they all bear the personal hallmark of Josienne Clarke.
Josienne’s first single, ‘Sit Out‘, had a strong air of steadfast confidence, a power-punch introduction and a slick and unforgettable entrance for this album. She is clearly an artist not to be underestimated, for it’s within her steadfast personal approach to music these tracks really fly and stand out. Below is another…
Watch a video exclusive of ‘A Letter On A Page’, which Alec Bowman Clarke filmed in black and white. The whole video is beautifully done and captures the emotion Clarke is known for pouring into her stage performances.
Of the song, Josienne tells us:
“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play music again when I wrote this, I was so unhappy with my current situation, I needed to take apart my career as it was and I wasn’t sure if I’d have one left afterwards. I was aiming for a Leonard Cohen type ballad, dark, bittersweet & philosophical.
“Life is fleeting, good things end but so do bad things and there is comfort to be found in the irrefutable certainty of change.”
This whole album represents that change…and her irrefutable presence which finds her releasing some of her best and most unforgettable music to date.
A Small Unknowable Thing, Clarke’s second solo album, will be released on August 13th via her own label, Corduroy Punk Records.
Pre-order: https://ffm.to/unknowable
Photo Credit: Alec Bowman Clarke