Tag: Imogen Clark

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“The Art of Getting Through” – Imogen Clark

After wowing me with singles like “All Hard Feelings” and “If I Want In,” Imogen Clark raised my expectations for her latest album The Art of Getting Through. Those singles were so well-written, with insightful lyrics and impeccable melodies. Happily, the release of the album shows they were no fluke.

This album sounds so polished, but we’d expect nothing else of a collection of songs recorded in the legendary Abbey Road studios in London, Peter Frampton’s Studio Phenix in Nashville, and EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, where the Beach Boys recorded Pet Sounds and Michael Jackson recorded Thriller. But it doesn’t matter how acclaimed the studios are if you don’t have the goods. Imogen does. Her songs unfold like diary entries, revealing her distrust of men in “Natural Predator,” her battles with an eating disorder in “Silhouette,” and her struggles and strength in “The Last of Me.” They’re big topics. Imogen is an artist with plenty to say, and listening to her catchy melodies and rich voice, you want to hear it.

“These songs are about the messiness of life, the layers of injury and hurt that build resilience and how you never really get a clean slate or a fresh start,” Imogen explained. “There is no starting over, there is only getting through.”

Most of the tracks on The Art of Getting Through sit in the pop-rock space. It’s a place where Imogen excels. These songs feel classic on the first listen. Not just the singles, but every track feels radio-ready. She could have sat in that space for the whole album and I don’t think anyone would complain, but she shows us we shouldn’t pigeonhole her music with the devastating closer, “If Your Heart Never Breaks.” It feels like a standard, beautiful, and cinematic, with hints of jazz. Can Imogen do it all? Quite possibly.

With the release of The Art of Getting Through, Imogen shows she’s blossoming into one of our best artists. Now she’s living in Nashville opportunities to see her live in our part of the world are becoming rarer, so make sure you don’t miss her when she visits in November after some UK shows.

10 July 2024 – The Green Note, London
12 July 2024 – Last Drop Inn, York (FREE)
14 July 2024 – Running Horse Live, Nottingham
14 November 2024 – Low 302, Eora/Sydney
16 November 2024 – Wesley Anne, Naarm/Melbourne

Images used with permission from Chinwag PR; main photo credit: Michelle Grace Hunder

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Imogen Clark Impresses With “All Hard Feelings”

It’s Imogen Clark’s birthday today but she’s giving us a gift: a brand new single. I feel like this every time I hear new Imogen Clark material, but “All Hard Feelings,” might just be her best one yet. It’s so relatable and catchy, I’ve already played it several times this morning. It sounds incredible, and well it should given her superstar collaborators. Imogen penned the track in Nashville with Sinead Burgess and Blake O’Connor, then recorded it with Grammy-winning bassist Davey Faragher and Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer Pete Thomas on drums, who were both part of Elvis Costello’s band The Imposters.

“When I rocked up at Sinead and Blake’s apartment to write this song, I’d had a bit of a week. Someone had fucked me over and I resented how much it was getting to me,” Imogen recalls. “We decided to put that energy into a song about how I have never really gotten over anything in my whole life. I saw a meme once that said ‘Taylor Swift has never shaken anything off’ and I thought ‘Same queen’. It’s a really fun tune that also lets me burn off some of that bitter energy in a cathartic way”.

There are plenty of opportunities to see Imogen in the coming months as she’s landed some plum supporting slots. Once she wraps up her shows with BOWEN * YOUNG, she’ll warm up crowds for Andrew Farris and Steve Poltz. If you have tickets to any of these shows, make sure you get there early enough for her set.

19 January 2024 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney (supporting BOWEN * YOUNG)
20 January 2024 – Lizotte’s, Mulubinba/Newcastle (supporting BOWEN * YOUNG)
21 January 2024 – Capitol Theatre, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth (supporting BOWEN * YOUNG)
27 January 2024 – IMB Theatre, Woolyungah/Wollongong (supporting BOWEN * YOUNG)
28 January 2024 – The Triffid, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting BOWEN * YOUNG)
9 February 2024 – The Beer Shed, Dharawal Country/Campbelltown (supporting Andrew Farriss)
10 February 2024 – Astor Hotel, Gandangara Country/Goulburn (supporting Andrew Farriss)
11 February 2024 – Lizotte’s, Mulubinba/Newcastle (supporting Andrew Farriss)
16 February 2024 – Sooki Lounge, Wurundjeri Country/Belgrave (supporting Andrew Farriss)
17 February 2024 – Theatre Royal, Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine (supporting Andrew Farriss)
23 February 2024 – Wilder Tasmania, Palawa Country/Gowrie Park (supporting Andrew Farriss)
24 February 2024 – Clarendon Arms, Palawa Country/Evandale (supporting Andrew Farriss)
25 February 2024 – Republic Bar, Nipaluna/Hobart (supporting Andrew Farriss)
8 March 2024 – Imperial Hotel, Ngumundi/Eumundi (supporting Andrew Farriss)
9 March 2024 – Old Museum, Meeanjin/Brisbane (supporting Andrew Farriss)
15 March 2024 – Heritage Hotel, Bulla/Bulli (supporting Andrew Farriss)
16 March 2024 – Brass Monkey, Kurranulla/Cronulla (supporting Andrew Farriss)
23 March 2024 – Thornbury Theatre, Naarm/Melbourne (supporting Steve Poltz)
28 March 2024 – The Great Club, Eora/Sydney (supporting Steve Poltz)

Photo credit: Michelle Grace Hunder

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Imogen Clark Releases Fantastic New Christmas Single

I love Christmas music, but I’m a bit picky about it. Every year there are plenty of new Christmas songs released, but most of them are overly cliché and cloying. They feel like a cash grab rather than an honest contribution to the canon of Christmas music. So when I do bring you a Christmas song, you know it’s good. Wrap your ears around “Not Christmas Here,” the latest singer from Imogen Clark. Penned with acclaimed singer-songwriter Steve Poltz and recorded with an all-star cast of musicians at Peter Frampton’s Studio Phenix in Nashville, it manages to be sweet without being schmaltzy.

“I went to the US to write and record earlier this year, and while I was there, I decided this was my last visit and the next time I came back would be me moving there” Imogen recalled. “I was so excited but also overwhelmed and terrified about moving to the other end of the Earth. I thought of my Aussie Christmases, visiting my family home in Western Sydney and taking stock of what I’ve learned, achieved and overcome in the last twelve months. This song is me projecting ahead to how I’ll feel on my first Christmas living in America, without my family close by, and without all the trappings of an Australian Christmas – the sweltering heat, seafood dinners and white wine.”

“It was so much fun writing this song with Imogen,” Steve added. “She’s a great collaborator and a wonderful songsmith with great instincts. It put us in the Christmas spirit while we were smack dab in the middle of a heatwave in Nashville. Honored to be a part of the whole shebang.”

She might be based in the United States now, but Imogen won’t stay away for too long. She’ll play a string of shows as a special guest of BOWEN * YOUNG in January. If you’re stuck for Christmas gift ideas, might I suggest some tickets?

12 January 2024 – Barwon Club, Djilang/Geelong
13 January 2024 – Thornbury Theatre, Naarm/Melbourne
14 January 2024 – Theatre Royal, Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine
19 January 2024 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney
20 January 2024 – Lizotte’s, Mulubinba/Newcastle
21 January 2024 – Capitol Theatre, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth
27 January 2024 – IMB Theatre, Woolyungah/Wollongong
28 January 2024 – The Triffid, Meeanjin/Brisbane

Photo used with permission from Chinwag PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Imogen Clark Drops Brilliant New Single, “If I Want In”

“If I Want In”, the latest song from indie-pop act Imogen Clark, is one of those rare songs that is every bit as brilliant as it sounds on paper. When I heard she’d recorded her latest single at Abbey Road Studios with Georgia Maq from Camp Cope and members of Gang of Youths, my expectations were raised pretty high. However, it’s every bit as good as its credentials suggest.

“‘If I Want In’ is about making the choice to go your own way and become the person you have to become, even though everything and everyone around you is trying to pull you back onto the expected path,” Imogen explained. “It’s about acknowledging where I come from and how it shaped me, but I won’t let it define me. It’s about a little girl who spent her days at Penrith High School and her nights playing covers at Western Sydney pubs, dreaming of the big world out there and finding her place in it.”

Imogen shot the music video in Gandangara and Darug Country/Western Sydney, where Imogen played her first gigs as a teenager, and in other iconic locations that her music’s taken her, including Nashville, Los Angeles, and Venice Beach. It finished up at the Oxford Art Factory in Eora/Sydney, where we see Imogen rocking out with her band.

“If I Want In” comes from Imogen’s upcoming solo album, which she’ll release early next year. Before then, Imogen will bring her Holiday Hootenanny shows to Eora/Sydney and Naarm/Melbourne. These annual festive events, which started in 2020, feature a whole bunch of brilliant special guests who’ll perform their songs, songs from the other artists present, and some surprising covers. They should like they’ll be a lot of fun, so make sure you grab some tickets!

23 November 2023 – Holiday Hootenanny @ The Vanguard, Eora/Sydney (with The Buckleys, Clews, Lindsay McDougall, Sarah Belkner, and Timothy James Bowden)
9 December 2023 – Holiday Hootenanny @ The Gasometer, Naarm/Melbourne (with Alex Lahey, Darcy Fox, Demi Louise, Eilish Gilligan, Jess Hitchcock, Shannen James, and Katie Wighton)

Image used with permission from Chinwag PR