NEW SINGLE RELEASE – Gently Tender ‘Country Folk’
2 November 2023
The band, made up of lead singer Evelyn, drummer Nathan, bassist Freddie, and guitarist Olivia make up the Glasgow-based group, who continue to charm audiences across the city, not without a few surprises up their sleeves.
So how did you all meet?
Olivia: Last year, I finished university in May and I was like, fuck, I’m still in Glasgow and making music by myself. I had an idea for a song that I wrote when I was 16. I knew Glasgow was good for music so I thought, since I just finished exams I’m gonna try to record it. I started asking all of my friends if they played anything. I got Freddie as a bassist and then Eve said she played trumpet which was fantastic, that’s exactly what I needed.
Evelyn: We ended up going for a pint and Oli was talking about this song that she’d written, and the only person she still needed was a drummer and someone who plays the trumpet and I wasn’t going to tell her that I knew how- because I hadn’t played it in like five or six years. I played it in school, and then when I went to uni I literally hadn’t touched it. So when Oli asked me I said that I do but I don’t really. But through practising I’ve fallen in love with it again- it’s different when it’s your own music. It adds to the Spanish sound as well.
In an oversaturated and competitive industry, Clay Rings have a secret weapon. The trumpet solos in much of their music add a unique sound that still notably comes through in live performance, as Eve brings out the instrument on stage. Today, when guitar and drums dominate nearly all live performances, the brass addition brings a much needed breath of fresh air, and the composition of their songs is hardly compromised even when playing in front of an audience- it is in fact elevated by the sound they capture live. As Eve says, trumpet also bolsters the Spanish inflections in their music, introduced by guitarist Olivia, who hails from Alicante.
What’s the significance of the Spanish in your songs?
Olivia: I just find it easier to write in Spanish. For our first song, we developed the music but didn’t have any lyrics, so Freddie and I sat in my room and tried to write some. We both just met – it was a bit weird to write lyrics with people you don’t know. It’s a bit awkward and we kind of struggled with the first verse and chorus.
Freddie: I don’t speak Spanish so I left to get a glass of water and when I came back she had written the whole thing. Oli is the only one of us who speaks Spanish fluently, but now we’re all learning.
Clay Rings exemplify the diversity of the Glasgow music scene in their easy fusion of Spanish and English lyrics and sound. Gliding flawlessly from one to the other, they pair bossa nova rhythms with retro, bluesy elements to create a sound that is not only impossible to not dance to, but lends them a strikingly distinct sonic palette. Although Oli leads the way with the Spanish, all members bring particular skills to the table, meaning that there is no one lead but rather a finely balanced group, not only in terms of performance but songwriting too.
Do you all contribute to the songwriting process? Is it a team effort?
Evelyn: We all write. There are one or two songs where one person has written the majority of it, but even then, we all have some sort of input. Overall I would say the majority of them have been a major team effort.
Olivia: What happens a lot in practice is that we play one of our songs and then we all start suggesting things and trying stuff out. You end up developing a rhythm.
Evelyn: For example, with ‘You Got It Wrong’, Oli had the melody done, and then as soon as she sent it I immediately had the lyrics in my head. What’s really nice is that when you’re playing the songs, you know who came up with each part.
The band encapsulates what it is to be in your twenties, a liminal stage between youth and adulthood where no one really has anything figured out. Their songs speak to the love, loss, complexity and acceptance of this period in life.
Do you draw from their own experiences?
Olivia: I like telling stories, sometimes the content doesn’t apply to me, but I think it’s cool to write from another perspective. I do find it hard to avoid being cheesy though, because some things I don’t want people to hear.
Evelyn: Yeah I think, for me, inspiration does strike when I’m feeling emotional, so I think that’s why a lot of the time my lyrics end up being quite personal. Not in the way that it means so much to me, but they are experiences that I’ve had. Some people write in diaries or journals, I write songs. It’s also easier to perform a song when it has a personal note.
Olivia: When you sing in Spanish, you can say things that you wouldn’t say in English. At one of our shows someone actually thought the Spanish was Gaelic. But there’s always at least one Spanish person in the crowd. One of our songs is about the progression of lesbian sex and it becomes quite explicit. I performed it in front of my mum once, and she could obviously understand, so when we actually record that one I might have to go into hiding for a bit!
Speaking of performance, the band cultivates a dynamic stage presence when live, oozing joy and lively chemistry which naturally seeps into the crowd.
How do you feel about performing?
Nathan: For the first couple we were really nervous
Olivia: But we did like a million open mics before we started gigging in July, so even for our first gig we were quite comfortable. The only difference was playing to friends instead of strangers. I actually only started playing the guitar seriously around a year ago, but now I’m the guitarist in the band, so at the beginning I was terrified but it’s getting easier.
For a relatively new band, the group performs effortlessly. Their appearance shouts retro psychedelic nostalgia with a modern twist, perhaps also reflected in musical delivery.
How would you describe your sound?
Evelyn: Groovy is a word that we use a lot, we’ve got quite a seventies vibe, not even just the music but the way we present and play if that makes sense. We are leaning towards indie rock.
Olivia: It’s hard because every song is a different genre and even within songs we switch genres.
Evelyn: We also have different tastes, like Nathan and I have a sort of blues and jazz side so when I write it’s very bluesy which can make some songs sound different to the rest. So it depends on who writes, but I think groovy and upbeat is how I would describe it. I think an easier way to put it is to say that we have elements of different bands and performers instead of one genre.
So who inspires you?
Olivia: I think ABBA, our goal would be to be like ABBA!
Evelyn: For me, Fleetwood Mac and The Cranberries. Anything that has a sort of ethereal note. For me, the music I like is inspired by what my mum likes. Modern music has a place for me but the majority of what I listen to is seventies to nineties.
Olivia: We do like modern songs too, we’re planning on writing a reggaeton song next!
Is that the direction you’re going in with your music?
Olivia: We want to lean into the Spanish more.
Freddie: I think having the Spanish influence definitely draws us apart. We don’t force it but sometimes some elements come through, not necessarily lyrics but just a Spanish sound and rhythm.
As one of the UK’s shining hotspots for music, the band are certainly in the place to be. Glasgow hosts an array of live venues, and the band are successfully crossing them off one by one.
What are your goals for the band?
Evelyn: New York ideally! But realistically, in the next year we will hopefully release more music. Next summer we want to play at a festival or maybe get out of Glasgow. We have a Clay Rings mobile (Eve drives a car) so maybe even a tour and go all the way to the North of Spain. We also want to do an album but we might have to do it in the next three years seeing as we all have plans to move quite soon. It’s been going very well. It’s been slow but it has snowballed step by step. I think we’ve been quite lucky. Before we recorded the EP, ‘Blue-Boys Dreams’, we were trying to market it and weren’t getting much traction, but that track has really changed a lot since we recorded it. I think we added some really nice elements that come through on stage.
Do you find yourself approaching music in different ways?
Olivia: I think I am improving, especially with the guitar. When we started we didn’t really know each other very well. Now we’re all really good friends, and I think that changed the way we make music because there’s more of a personal understanding of how everyone works. It’s like you don’t even acknowledge it at the time but you do tend to notice everyone’s little strengths.
Finally, if you were to have a dinner party of musicians, who would you invite?
Paul McCartney! Ella Fitzgerald. Stevie Wonder maybe. We’ll bring Patti Smith as well, why not.
The group have a packed month, playing Stereo, Glasgow on 13th November and Nice n Sleazy on the 16th and 27th November, also in Glasgow. Follow them on social media to keep up with new music and live shows.