A Behind The Scenes Q&A With Influential Indie Pop Duo CLAVVS

Brooklyn-based indie pop duo CLAVVS sat down to discuss the extended release of their EP No Saviors as well as how living in Brooklyn serves as inspiration for their sound.

Let’s dive right into the new EP No Saviors. How long has the EP been in the works and what was the creative process like during the making of it?

We finished the first song from this project back in the summer of 2017. I started writing a lot of these songs at the end of that year, but we didn’t finish them all until mid 2018, after moving to Brooklyn. We took our time and really wanted to capture more of a feeling of hope and joy than our previous releases. There are more organic elements— live bongos, live percussion. The creative process was really fun.

You’ve partnered the EP release with the official video for your single “Half Moon”. Why did you choose to demonstrate the video’s narrative through dance and who choreographed?

Elena Vazintaris was our choreographer for this video. We absolutely adore her and both of the dancers, Matilda Sakamoto and Eloise Deluca. When we were creating the story for the video, I (Amber) knew that I wanted this circular love story to play out through dance. Dancing is the best! It’s an ancient language that can express so much. In this instance, it was the language we used to explore forgiveness and redemption.

“Half Moon” is a part of the No Saviors (Extended) Release – why did you choose to repackage your 2019 EP and what are your goals for reintroducing your music to the world + your current fans?

We thought about releasing them as two EPs, but just realized that these ten songs belong together. Sonically and lyrically, they feel so at home as a whole. We chose to present them as one project because they inform each other in many ways. And they represent a specific period of time for us and the people we were when we created them.

You’re a Brooklyn-based duo. How do you feel living in Brooklyn has helped shape your music and do you consciously incorporate inspiration from your surroundings into your music?

We love Brooklyn. It’s definitely a source of inspiration for us. The place where you create always seems to find its way into your creations, in small ways and sometimes bigger ways. We take field recordings all the time and sew them into the fabric of our songs. I (Amber) have been writing a lot in Bryant Park and Union Square Park lately. Those places are special to me. They tuck themselves into my words.

2019 was a huge year for you; in what ways do you feel you grew the most and how do you hope that carries over into the new decade?

I (Amber) grew a lot this year. I’m learning how to let things live in the past. I’m learning how to embrace myself more. I’ve been cultivating more joy in my life. We both have. It’s been an important part of our creation process this time around. We’re most excited about bringing that joy to our shows!

Do you have any touring plans in 2020? We’d love to tell fans how they might be able to see you perform LIVE!

Nothing is announced quite yet, but we’re especially excited about playing more shows this year. There are exciting things coming!

What does CLAVVS do to keep the writing wheels greased? Do you believe in any specific practices or ways of living to enhance your creativity that you’d like to share?

We meditate and set intentions. We both believe in practicing mindfulness. We also set aside time to write and work on music very regularly. We don’t wait for inspiration to strike. We’re just always fishing, and sometimes we catch something great but other times we catch something and throw it back.

In what ways do you feel your music pushes the envelope? And how do you hope to impact pop music today?

If the songs we make leave any sort of impact, I hope it’s that working through things is necessary and important. Feel your feelings. Push deeper into the fear. Question it. Find out what lives on the other side.

At this point, we are whole-heartedly chasing our joy and working hard to protect it. Being joyful and sincere feels like a rebellious choice sometimes, but the world could use more of that.

Be sure to follow CLAVVS on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more info!