From Super Monsters to Supermodels with Claud

Image credit: Angela Ricciardi

Brooklyn-based purveyor of emotional, relatable & personal bedroom pop Claud’s 2021 debut album Super Monster was special for a number of reasons. The first release on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records, Super Monster was the culmination of years of hard work across a number of aliases and projects - at the age of just 21.

Initially releasing music under the alias Toast, Claud (full name Claud Mintz) released EPs in 2018 and 2019, before forming the band Shelly, that also boasted Clairo as a member, and released a pair of singles, before Claud caught the ear of Bridgers. This led to Claud being the first artist signed to Saddest Factory Records, with the critically & audience acclaimed Super Monster the result.

Fast forward two and a half years, and Claud has returned with their equally impressive sophomore album Supermodels, which sees them grappling with the emotional fallout of their growing popularity, as their “life turned upside down by departure, loss, and voids where support networks once stood”.

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Taking to their acoustic guitar and second-hand upright piano, Claud began work on what would become Supermodels, channeling these emotions into another relatable, diverse and addictive full length album.

With Claud about to head off to the UK before undertaking a mammoth US tour, we checked in with them to find out all about Supermodels:

Congrats on your new album! Where did the title ‘Supermodels’ come from?

It came from a lyric in the song ‘Screwdriver.’

When did you start work on ‘Supermodels’?

In the summer of 2021 I wrote ‘Wet’ and ‘Every Fucking Time’.

How did the creative process differ from your first album?

The creative processes were honestly pretty similar, except there’s a lot more of my solo songwriting and production work on Supermodels. I really believed in myself a lot more with this album, and put a lot more of myself into the production.

With a personal approach to your songwriting, how much is drawn from your real life and how much is a crafted narrative?

I’d say about 95% is drawn from my real life.

What’s it like releasing on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records?

It’s awesome. I couldn’t ask for a bitter situation, honestly. I feel so lucky.

How are the songs from the new album feeling live?

They feel so so great! I played 'Glass Wall' and 'A Good Thing' when I opened for Paramore and boygenius, and the songs felt so big and filled the room so nicely.

With a massive UK & US tour coming up, what are you looking forward to the most?

I’m so fucking excited to bring the show to life with a cool visual component. I’m a little nervous about crying while playing “Screwdriver” though, because it’s such a personal song to me and I cried while recording it.

When are we going to be able to hear the new album live in Australia?

As soon as possible I hope!!! It’s my dream to go to Australia.

How do you unwind post album-tour?

Filling up my kitchen with groceries and not leaving my house for a week straight.

What have you been listening to lately?

My Soft Machine by Arlo Parks