Hollywood is a big deal, and we don’t mean that lousy place in America, we mean the brand new single from Sydney sister duo CLEWS. We sat down with the soaring stars on the rise to talk about their aspirations, dreams of playing the first female James Bond, and the meanings behind some of their killer tracks.
Sydney sister duo originally from Mollymook, Grace and Lily Richardson, have been carving their place in the music scene for months now, dropping by whenever they so please to drop an incredible single, and then returning to work on more music.
The discography of CLEWS so far is something to be admired, only four tracks in total at the moment, and yet anyone who knows Australian music has heard of their name.
First single ‘Museum’ put the girls onto the map, showing the world that contemporary indie music can still sound fresh and fierce in 2019. What drives the band to new heights however is their lyricism, each song spilling out like a beautifully crafted poem, where the listener becomes adrift on a river of pure magic.
Since then they’ve released ‘Crushed’ and the simply beautiful ‘Crushed II’, which let the world know that they weren’t just here to play around, they meant business. And business they have been focused on, with an absolutely extensive amount of tours under their belt already, including support for the likes of Portugal. The Man, Laurel, Albert Hammond Jr. and Ocean Alley.
Watch the video for ‘Crushed II’ below:
And now the girls are back with the absolute triumph that is their new song, ‘Hollywood.’
Not only does the music raise the stakes, but the video is something out of a big-budget movie, dazzling with vibes of Mulholland Drive, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, and the anti-hero excellence of Kill Bill.
Describing the video, Grace comments: “We filmed the fight sequences on a bitterly cold winter’s day getting flogged by rain. Everyone was soaked to the bone by the time we’d run the song once, but morale was sky high.”
To that, Lily adds, “I wrote Hollywood in the time between teenagehood and adulthood, so the video dramatises that limbo by taking people through purgatory.”
And we never want to leave this purgatory, with ‘Hollywood’ slowly becoming our favourite single of the year so far. The video was directed by Maya Luana, and shot in the coastal town of Newcastle, and you can check it out below.
You can also check out CLEWS when they come our way for their very own headline shows, called the Spooky Pageant Tour, which is sure to be simply unmissable. We sat down with the girls to find out more about them for our Get To Know series, and their answers have made us wonder where in fact our copies of Step Up have run off to.
Watch the video for ‘Hollywood’ below:
Get To Know: CLEWS
How did your artist name come about?
Lily rang me as I was walking into school one day and said: “Hey, I think if we’re ever in a band together we should be called CLEWS”.
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
Dear Dawn, you should probably sit this one out.
Tell us about a few of your tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
We just released a new song called Hollywood. I wrote it a couple of years ago so it sits in the place between childhood and adulthood and is about imagining what sort of life you might end up making for yourself. We have an unreleased song called ‘Feel’ that we like playing live, that one I wrote around about the time our town got its first escalator.
Our song ‘Crushed’ is about being overwhelmed, though mostly in a good way. I am not in love at the moment so a lot of my songs are about imagining a life where I am.
What do you love about your hometown?
You can’t go to the shops without bumping into someone you know.
Career highlight so far?
Supporting Albert Hammond Jr.
Fave non-music hobby?
Rugby!
What’s on your dream rider?
My copy of the first Step Up movie on DVD that I lost in a move two years ago.
Dream music collaboration?
CLEWS x Calvin Harris
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Playing the starring role of the first female James Bond.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Landslide (Dixie Chicks style) for Grace, Mirrors by Justin Timberlake for Lily
Check out ‘Hollywood’ by CLEWS below:
CLEWS- THE SPOOKY PAGEANT TOUR DATES
(With special guests Eagle Eye Jones)
Friday, October 25th
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
Friday, November 1st
Foundry, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday, November 2nd
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
Tickets available HERE.
