Barcelona-based, multi-national indie 4-piece CLEMENTINE are back with their second EP ‘Point Be’. The four tracker, which marks a shift in mood for the guys, is out now on Spanish imprint Siete Señoritas Gritando.
A headline act since 2019, CLEMENTINE’s debut ‘REC.’ was supported by BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and beyond. They’ve been playing some notorious shows in their home town at some of the city’s most iconic cult fave music haunts, but their music is catching attention worldwide thanks to their trademark shimmering guitars, driving rhythm section and strong, soulful vocals.
We caught up with the band around the new release, check it below…
Hey Clementine, thanks for speaking with us! Where are we catching you today?
Hey Partae! Thanks for the interview! You’re speaking to Paul from CLEMENTINE, and right now it’s 30-something degrees in Barcelona, but the skies are looking grey and ominous. I think we’ve got a storm on the way, so it’s unlikely I’m gonna leave my apartment today.
You’re a multinational band all now living in Barcelona – how did you all meet/how was the band formed?
So Julian (guitarist) had been working on a home recording project when we first met through a mutual friend. He was wearing a jumper with the band Foals on it. We instantly bonded over a mutual love of the same kind of music and became friends. I played guitar when I was younger, but hadn’t played for about 10 years. Julian gave me his old guitar and told me to learn again so I could help him record. I was starting again almost completely from scratch, but I worked on my technique and then we started writing and recording together at his house on Carrer de Rec in the El Born neighbourhood of Barcelona. That’s where we got the title for our first EP.
Not long after, Vince (singer/bassist) moved to Barcelona for work. Vince and Julian have been friends since they met at college in France. They’ve played in bands together for years, including when they both went to live together in Colombia. So they’re pretty experienced playing together and know each other really well. After that, we found Raul online, invited him to come and play with us and we had a great chemistry straight away.
You’ve just dropped your new EP, ‘Point Be’, featuring four new tracks. This marks a shift in sound from your debut 2020 release ‘REC.’ How would you describe the REC sound in comparison to the Point Be sound for someone new discovering your music for the first time?
‘REC.’ was the first music we had ever recorded as a band outside of Julian’s apartment, so it was quite a new experience for us. At this point we had played a few live shows and we chose the songs that resonated with the crowd at the shows the best to represent us. I think ‘REC.’ is a more varied release in terms of sound, while with ‘Point Be’ there was more of an effort to keep a consistent sound and theme throughout. We wanted 4 songs that complemented each other perfectly, while still showing a range.
Personally I think that ‘Point Be’ has more anthemic choruses and an overall darker sound, but still has the same energy that you would find in a song like ‘Setback’ or ‘Horror’ from the first EP.
Do you think this shift in sound is a conscious choice or just a natural evolution as you continue playing gigs and writing music together?
In my opinion it was a conscious choice for this EP. Some of these songs are old enough to have appeared on ‘REC.’, so it’s not so much that our sound has changed overall. We still sound like CLEMENTINE, but we’ve chosen tracks for this EP which complement each other to keep a running theme throughout.
We’ve always had a dark and rhythmic sound, and we’ve always written big choruses. But I think that the 4 tracks on ‘Point Be’ definitely showcase some of our most anthemic and ambitious songs yet.
Rumour has it you spent 4 days solid recording the EP outside of Barcelona – what would you say was the best part of such intense studio time, and what was the worst?!
Yeah, the place was in the middle of nowhere, but it was such a great experience. We recorded with a producer named Marco Morgione, who recorded REC. EP. He knows the band well by now and we get on with him so well, which made the whole weekend feel like a holiday. His hospitality and the stunning location were definitely the highlights. We were surrounded by amazing mountainous countryside and the sun was out all weekend, so when we got a break we could spend it on the terrace, or having a barbecue.
The worst thing, for sure, was the cold which struck once the sun had gone in. If we record there again I’m gonna make sure to pack extra blankets.
What helped you guys stay sane in that time of recording? Was there much downtime/snacks/private jokes/team sports or activities that got you through?
We had a pretty strict schedule which we stuck to as well as we could. This allowed for downtime in the evenings where we could cook, eat and drink together. This helped us unwind while still feeling productive.
Marco knows our band and our sound really well, so he was on-hand to suggest things to us as we were recording. He has this amazing stash of old guitars, synths and other gear which he let us play with. I could’ve spent days just going through his pedal collection if I’m honest.
We also had plenty there to keep us busy while we weren’t recording. Marco had an old PS2 with Pro Evolution Soccer, which was a favourite pastime. We also made great use of his ping pong and subbuteo tables.
Do you have a favourite track on the EP? Or was there a track that came together easily from the beginning? And what about one that was a bit tougher or took a bit more time to nail?
The Streets Will Always Be Ours has an interesting backstory. We had been working on the instrumental for the song for a while under a different name – which is our usual process if we don’t have lyrics straight away. I always thought the rhythm of the guitars in the intro and verses was very similar to the Catalan independence chant Els Carrers Seran Sempre Nostres, which translates into English as “The Streets Will Always Be Ours”.
I wanted to do something a little bit different, so instead of writing a political song, I wrote a song about love, and feeling invincible in the face of adversity when you’re with someone who makes you feel secure and loved, but made it sound like it was a political song, with a huge chant at the end, and the megaphone at the beginning.
We recorded the instrumental to that in one session, and the lyrics came a week or so later. I was so excited to write it, but wanted to be careful to get the balance right.
On the other hand, we actually added Flight Tracker to the EP quite late. We originally planned to record another song, but Julian wrote the lyrics to Flight Tracker using an old instrumental that he had recorded years ago. It took a little while for us to get this one right, but it’s one of our most ambitious songs, and the synths really thickened out our sound.
What do you think has been the biggest highlight so far for you as a fresh band on the scene? Any career moments that really stick out?
The time spent recording this EP was a really unique and special experience, and one which I’ll always have really fond memories of, but my personal highlight was the gig we played at Bar Ceferino last summer.
We were still in the midst of heavy COVID restrictions, so we were only allowed a small number of people, but our curfew was over and bars had begun hosting concerts again. It had been so long since any of us had seen live music, that even though it was a sanitised version, playing a gig in front of anybody felt like the most exciting thing ever.
We played two sets that night, by the time the second set came, everybody had loosened right up and the energy in the room was incredible. That gig was officially the launch show for our REC. EP as we were unable to play live for months after its release due to COVID restrictions and curfew. I think we gave it the launch it deserved.
What’s next for CLEMENTINE?
Right now we’re just so happy to get this EP out that we’re gonna take the summer off. After that we’ll look at what our next steps could be. We’ve got tons of songs still to record and release, so watch this space!
CLEMENTINE ‘Point Be’ is out now, get it here: https://clementinebcn.bandcamp.com