Claud - Super Monster ⅘
It's a show of confidence that this is the first release on Phoebe Bridger’s new label Saddest Factory Records but it's a justified gamble. Claud Mintz has produced a solid, sure-footed
debut full of charm and youth.
Even though there’s a pleasant seam of naivety running through the core of the album it is offset by an assured vibe. The songs themselves are fully formed bedroom, folk/indie pop. There’s a gentle touch of shoegaze to ‘Soft Spot’ while ‘Our In-Between’ sidles up to where Ariana Grande hangs out to share a milkshake, metaphorically of course Ms. Grande herself isn’t actually on the track.
A hazy, lazy comfortable hammock of an album, it never veers away too much from the blueprint which is the record’s biggest flaw. A little variation in tempo and texture would benefit the album greatly, but that’s just a grumble seeing as there much promise in these grooves and more than enough time for experimentation on future recordings.
Easy on the ears and quite fun ‘Super Monster’ sounds like the beginning of a very promising career for Claud.