Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster has confirmed in a new interview that the band are in the process of writing new tracks in a follow-up to their 2018 record Book Of Bad Decisions, but admitted that “we are not living in very inspiring times.”

Speaking on the Cobras & Fire podcast, Gaster spoke out on the pandemic’s effect on musicians, with some utilising the opportunity to create new music, while others have struggled to find inspiration amid the unprecedented times.

“On paper, you would think that this would be a creative time for artists, and maybe there are artists out there who are doing some of their best work ever right now, writing their best songs,” he said.

“I can tell you, for us, we’ve concentrated mostly on trying to figure out how to stream shows and figure out that technology. And while we have started to write, we are not living in very inspiring times. So it’s difficult to get those wheels turning,” Gaster explained of writing new music for Clutch.

“Not only that, but also knowing that once we have this recording done, it’s difficult to say when we’re gonna be able to get out there and play these songs.”

He continued: “We’ve always been a band that writes songs and immediately puts these songs into the set. That gives us the opportunity to play these things, and the songs take shape.”

“We really rely on that live environment to bring those songs to life, because often what sounds great in the jam room does not translate to the live setting. And you can tell that within the first 10 seconds of playing that song; you know right away if something works or not, so I think we’re missing that element.”

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He added, “That’s not to say that we won’t record, but I think for us the challenge is gonna be how do we try to emulate that with this new dynamic.”

“We’re gonna figure that out, no doubt,” the Clutch rocker assured.

Check out ‘Electric Worry’ by Clutch:

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