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Jun 28, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Andy Willsher

England’s The Clientele are releasing a new album, I Am Not There Anymore, on July 28 via Merge. Now they have shared the album’s third single, “Claire’s Not Real.” Listen below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

The Clientele is led by vocalist/lyricist/guitarist Alasdair MacLean and also features bassist James Hornsey and drummer Mark Keen.

In a press release, MacLean says “Claire’s Not Real” was partially inspired by the glow of a forest fire in the distance. “I was in Cercedilla in Spain in summer 2020,” he says. “There was suddenly a rain of ash and an orange glow on the horizon, and I read on my phone that nearby Ávila was burning with forest fires. This moment found its way into several songs on the album.”

Previously The Clientele shared the album’s first single, “Blue Over Blue,” via a music video. “Blue Over Blue” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared the album’s second single, “Dying in May,” which was also one of our Songs of the Week.

I Am Not There Anymore is the follow-up to 2017’s Music for the Age of Miracles, which was the band’s first new album in seven years. Sessions for the new album began in 2019, but took a while because of the pandemic and the band’s desire to experiment in the studio.

“We’d always been interested in music other than guitar music, like for donkey’s years,” said MacLean in a previous press release, with post-bop jazz, contemporary classical, and electronic music all cited as new influences for the band. “None of those things had been able to find their way into our sound other than in the most passing way, in the faintest imprint.”

The lyrics on I Am Not There Anymore are partially inspired by memories of the death of MacLean’s mother in the summer of 1997, a delayed sense of mourning. He said the album is about “the memory of childhood but at the same time the impossibility of truly remembering childhood… or even knowing who or what you are.”

The Clientele Tour Dates:

Fri. July 28 - London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Wed. Aug. 9 - Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre
Thu. Aug. 10 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Fri. Aug. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sat. Aug. 12 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Sun. Aug. 13 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Tue. Aug. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Thu. Aug. 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Fri. Aug. 18 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
Sat. Aug. 19 - Big Sur, CA @ Fernwood Tavern (inside)
Sun. Aug. 20 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Tue. Aug. 22 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Wed. Aug. 23 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern

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