UK producer Chris Clark, known to most of us as just Clark, has been busy lately. In 2023, Clark released his album Sus Dog and its companion piece Cave Dog. Last year, Clark scored the indie film In Camera. Now, we're about to get a whole new Clark album. He mostly recorded his new LP Steep Stims with relatively primitive synths and drum machines, and it's coming out this fall.
On Sus Dog, his last proper album, Clark worked with executive producer Thom Yorke and messed around with relatively traditional song structures. The new album goes in a different direction. Clark recorded Steep Stims relatively quickly, and it features no guests at all. Judging by lead single "Blowtorch Thimble," the record finds Clark reconnecting with his dance-music past. In a press release, he says:
I love it when electronic music feels more naturalistic than acoustic music, more potent. That’s the devil’s trick, the promise of electronic music... I used an old synth, the Virus, on all of the tracks. I used it at Mess in Melbourne, run by my friend Robin Fox. I loved it so much I had to buy one when I got back to the UK. It took a while to find. They’re a bit clunky to program but make some of my most favorite sounds...
Most of the tracks on this album capture the spirit of making music on old samplers, which don’t have much memory time. It reminds me of making Clarence Park, my first album, where I would have to finish tunes in the session, as they would be saved on floppy disks and I couldn’t easily go between tracks. This new record is just a few synths and a few choice sounds; the writing is the important thing.
On "Blowtorch Thimble," Clark pairs old-school rave synths with hyperactive drum programming and relatively somber pianos. It's a wild, dizzy piece of work. Below check out "Blowtorch Thimble," the Steep Stims tracklist, and Clark's upcoming tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Gift And Wound"
02 "Infinite Roller"
03 "No Pills U"
04 "Janus Modal"
05 "18EDO Bailiff"
06 "Globecore Flats"
07 "Blowtorch Thimble"
08 "Civilians"
09 "Inpatient's Day Out"
10 "Who Booed The Goose"
11 "5 Millionth Cave Painting"
12 "Negation Loop"
13 "Micro Lyf"
TOUR DATES:
9/06 - Tilburg, Netherlands @ Draaimolen
10/10 - Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre
11/06 - Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny
11/07 - Glasgow, UK @ Room 2
11/08 - Bristol, UL @ Simple Things
11/21 - Brighton, UK @ The Old Market
11/22 - Paris, France @ Gaité Lyrique
12/06 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
1/24 - Le Mans, France @ Le Mans Sonore
Steep Stims is out 11/7 on Throttle Records.
