The Many Flavors of Claud's "Super Monster"
I first discovered bedroom pop singer, Claud, on TikTok of all places, last semester. At that time, they had just released their song “Wish You Were Gay” and were promoting a remix of it, entitled “WISH U WERE…” I decided to give the remix a listen and liked what I was hearing. But, to be perfectly candid, I didn’t think of the song too much after that. A few months go by and I saw Claud on Instagram promoting the album that I’m reviewing today, Super Monster. Curious and remembering the single I had heard all those months ago, I decided to do some more digging on who Claud was as an artist.
Claud is the musical project of nonbinary singer, Claud Mintz. Most recently, they made headlines for being the first artist to sign with Phoebe Bridgers’ new record label, Saddest Factory. They started making music under the name ‘Toast’ at first in 2018 and have since released two EPs, along with this recently-released debut LP.
Trust me or not, I’d like to think I’m pretty familiar with bedroom pop as a genre. Some of my favorite artists and most streamed on Spotify include Clairo, Mxmtoon, and even the likes of Mac DeMarco. But I’ve never heard a bedroom pop album like Claud’s debut, and that was such a great thing to discover - the fact that Claud’s multi-layered sound stood out profoundly to me. I feel like sometimes when an album wants to explore too many ideas or themes at once, its overarching sound can get a bit muddled in the exchange of everything, but that wasn’t the case here. Throughout the thirteen songs presented to us, we are taken on a beautifully messy journey of love, nostalgia, and introspection.
We begin the record with the bubbly, feel-good “Overnight” - a song about impulses and how quickly one person can fall for another. The mixture of acoustic and electric guitar, along with the soft beat and gentle vocals, manifested a warm musical concoction that is showcased brightly throughout the production. Some of the equally smitten lyrics include “Poured you a cup / of black coffee / when you woke up / Now the rest’s history” and “I thought you would never finish the slice on your plate / But then you leaned in and the nerves went away”. It’s a nice, simple song about someone who gives you butterflies and leaves you feeling fuzzy inside. A compact start to the listening experience we’re about to embark upon.
Almost as quickly as the album starts, Claud swiftly gets over the honeymoon phase in the next track, “Gold”. An opposite, possible sequel to its precedent, this song’s production is dialed back a few notches. Against the background of deep bass and an eclectic beat, Claud questions if the love they feel for this someone they mention in the lyrics is even worth it - as a couple, they certainly seem like different people. Lyrics like “I like my peace / you like to fight / I like to reach / you hold on tight.” and “I feel like I’ve wasted away so many minutes / I need something different than the way this is,” illustrate that opposition in this relationship. The metaphor of referring to this partner’s moral character as “rust on gold” within the chorus likewise goes a long way to display Claud’s disappointment for the way things have turned out with this relationship. Claud is no longer seeing something of merit in this person that, at some point, they saw in the past. With a more realistic and calculated examination of how love affects us personally, this song made for a very captivating follow-up to the first track and our first intrepid dive into the real heart of this album’s tone.
The overall sound begins to get a lot dreamier through the next two songs - both of which, I personally think, are best enjoyed after midnight. “Soft Spot” is minimally produced with wispy vocals, yet it tackles Claud still having a special place in their heart for an ex-lover. The fingered guitar and cushioned snare beat created a vibe akin to what you’d feel at a bonfire on a summer night.
Complete with Claud’s ethereal, reverberated vocals, this song was very light on its feet. Starting off with well-utilized sampling,“In or In-Between,” my personal favorite off the album, offers sensual questions of being heard in a relationship. Topped off with epic instrumentation after the second verse and an interesting pitch fade towards the end, this song was a delight to listen to. It was certainly the one that captured my interest the most.
“Cuff Your Jeans” contemplates the fear of never seeing someone you care for again while “Ana (ft. Nick Hakim)” is a love letter to the eponymously-named fictional character, from the perspective of her equally fictional lover. Basically, what I mean is that “Ana” is not being sung from Claud’s perspective but rather a fictional one - for comparison sake, similar to what Taylor Swift has recently done with “Folklore” and “Evermore”. Unfortunately, while neither of the songs were bad in any respect, I felt like they fell a bit flat in comparison to the rest of what I’ve remarked upon so far. I wasn’t really wowed in the same way that I was with the previous entries.
We return to Claud’s point-of-view when they begin to get anxious about their emerging identity as an adult in the synthy and cautionary “Guard Down.” This is also where we seem to get back into the rhythm of things - thematically and through this specific sound, “Guard Down” is pretty cohesive. The anxiety present throughout the song also isn’t just stemming from assuming new adult responsibilities but I would also argue it’s being caused by another romantic someone. Claud almost wants to give in to their complex feelings towards this specific person, who clearly no longer feels for them, through the lyrics: “I wanna go back, throw another kick back / Meet me in the bathroom, I think I really need that.” This song truly represents a mental struggle or tug-of-war for Claud between the confusing emotions they feel in the moment and which direction their future is going. And the repetitive chorus of “Don’t let your guard down” just accentuates and heightens that insecurity and inner chaos for Claud.
Melting into “This Town” and “Jordan”, we take a step back from romantic affairs and explore some rather nostalgic ones. Through the lens of reminiscing about the pains of being held down by your hometown and a childhood story related to Michael Jordan, we get a more intimate glimpse into Claud’s memories and personal history as a Chicago native. Up until this moment, most of the songs on the album have been about romance so I think this was a much-needed break into different territory. It went a long distance to humanize Claud as a person. In terms of the musicality, the vibe of “This Town” is still fairly comparable to the earlier “Soft Spot”. In any case, I thought that both of these songs were placed in the exact position of the album they need to be in. They aren’t the strongest on the album but they’re where they belong and paced correctly.
“That’s Mr. Bitch To You (ft. Melanie Faye)” was a fun wild card in the mix of it all. Coming in hot with some fiery and erratic guitar, this song radiates self-confidence and solidifies a power stance, driven by its fast tempo. I feel like that’s what sets this song apart from all of the others. It’s truly a black sheep with the best sentiments -- and a kick-ass guitar solo from Melanie Faye. “Pepsi”, the most impressive song, production-wise, on the album, is a lust-powered song about letting someone know that what’s going down is not looking like it’s going to pan out into a real romantic future. With a magnificent use of sampling and a unique beat that weaves the track together, this entry in the album earned its spot as my second favorite, out of the thirteen. I also think that the metaphor of comparing Claud as the titular drink, Pepsi, and the person they’re referring to as Coke was a really smart move within the songwriting.
The album begins to wind down with the momentary-feeling “Rocks At Your Window” - only clocking in at 1:37. Even without a chorus, this song still manages to encapsulate the pull of holding back from immediately rushing to someone’s door and embarrassing yourself through a display of affection. And lastly, “Falling With The Rain (ft. Shelly)” follows to conclude the album, as a hopeful reminder that there is more to come after this point in Claud’s life and that their pain and anxiety are only temporary. Since Shelly is a newly-formed band, made up of Claud, Clairo, Josh Mehling, and Noa Frances Getzug, I was honestly expecting a bit more vocals from the other members. Specifically, I was hoping for more vocals from Clairo (since I’m a big fan). That wasn’t really delivered on this track but I honestly didn’t mind too much considering I think this track is a very fitting end to a mostly chaotic album. A breath of fresh air as we get a preview of Claud’s next chapter of their music, if you will.
This album’s sound was not consistent. But, the tone was, throughout it all. While most of the songs did borrow elements from others within the album, the majority stood alone well from each other, as well as stitched together. And I really didn’t mind the inconsistency and multiple flavors of sound that Claud experimented with since this album knew what it was trying to say and accomplish. That’s super impressive, honestly. And they, in my opinion, pulled off this exploration of their sound quite well. It’s fun, it’s contemplative, and it’s self-aware. What more could I want, as the listener, in an artist’s first LP?