Premiere: New Single from The Clydes. Old-Time Monarchy Out 10/25.

"Jalisa"

New Brunswick's The Clydes have been putting out solid pop-rock records since before there ever was a CoolDad Music. The band are currently readying their third release for Mint 400 Records. Old-Time Monarchy, produced by Mint 400 honcho Neil Sabatino, is due on October 25th. Tomorrow, The Clydes will release single "Jalisa," and we have an early preview of it for you today.

"The song is the most synth-heavy on a record that has more keyboards than our other albums," shares singer / guitarist Brent Johnson. "But my brother (guitarist Brian Johnson) and I actually started writing it after a trip to Nashville, of all places. Brian was inspired by those clean guitar licks that come out of that city. He started playing the riff the night we got home, and I began singing a melody over it. The synths came later, when we decided to rip up the arrangement.

"Lyrically, it's about how distant love can sometimes feel, even when you believe you've found the right person. But you press on. Because it's worth it."

"Jalisa" barrels along with a bit of an 80s feel. It retains The Clydes' knack for pop while throwing in some new sounds to keep things fresh.

Check out "Jalisa" below. The song gets an official release tomorrow. You'll be able to purchase / stream it from wherever you like to do that sort of thing. The Clydes celebrate the release tomorrow night, October 11th, with a free show at Stosh's in Fair Lawn that also features The Adventure Soundtrack, Even Eden, Blueox, and Jett Brando.

Old-Time Monarchy is out on October 25th. Pino's in Highland Park will host a release show that very evening which, in addition to The Clydes, features Honey Wild and Quinton Smith & The Company.

New Video from The Clydes. They Play Wonder Bar TONIGHT, 10/30, with Quality Living and C.R. & The Degenerates

"Holly Speaks"

Earlier this month, New Brunswick's The Clydes released So The Story Goes on Mint 400 Records. Comprised of brothers Brent (guitar, vocals, keys) and Brian Johnson (lead guitars, keyboards, effects), Andrew Lord Chandler (bass, keys, backing vocals), and MadMardigan (drums, backing vocals), The Clydes play alt pop that owes quite a bit to classic rock, the jangly sounds of the late 80s, and even Brit Pop.

The Clydes cite Brit Pop as one of the influences for single "Holly Speaks." It's a relatable song about the struggle to keep moving forward instead of sitting idly as life passes you by. The band recently released a video for the track directed by Mint 400 label head, Neil Sabatino. It stars Brittney On Fire, a familiar face to anyone who's spent any time around New Jersey music over the last several years.



The Clydes play a free So The Story Goes release show tonight, 10/30, at Wonder Bar. Joining them on the bill are Quality Living and C.R. & The Degenerates.

Premiere: New Song from The Clydes. EP Out This Sunday, 8/6.

The Clydes at last year's North Jersey Indie Rock Fest

"Lucid Garden"

The Clydes -- Brent Johnson (guitar / vocals), Brian Johnson (lead guitar / effects / synths / vocals), Andrew Lord Chandler (bass / keyboards / vocals), and MadMardigan (drums / vocals) -- have been a mainstay of the Central Jersey music scene for several years now. They've been sharing their take on pop-based alt rock through live shows and a consistent stream of releases. This Sunday, they'll be releasing EP, Lucid Garden, with an afternoon show at Long Branch's Brighton Bar. Sharing the bill with The Clydes will be Mint 400 label-mates Underlined Passages and Trim Tabs along with Casino Sundae.

As a bit of a preview for the show and the four-song EP, we've got the title track to Lucid Garden. The song has a post-punk, almost dark surf vibe. It reminds me quite a bit of some of the stuff I used to listen to on WHTG when I'd drive my 1980 Tercel back and forth to Sea Girt to cook pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwiches for the masses.

Anyway, it represents an ever so slight new direction for The Clydes while not deviating from the band's devotion to making tight, alternative rock.

Have a listen to "Lucid Garden" and then go hear The Clydes play it live this Sunday afternoon at Brighton Bar. Pre-orders for the EP are up over at The Clydes' Bandcamp page.

Exclusive Premiere: New Single from The Clydes

Photo: Erik Bardin

"Hiding from the Summer"

On 2013's Generator, New Brunswick's The Clydes staked themselves out a spot in the power pop / alt rock space. Standouts from that EP like "The Fate of California" and "Marigold" got some airplay around here and highlighted the band's facility with the well-produced, driving, 3 to 4 minute pop song.

On the second single and title track from the band's upcoming debut LP, Hiding from the Summer, The Clydes take things in a slightly more swirling, melodic, and introspective direction. The centerpiece of the track is Brian Johnson's repeated guitar riff. Brent Johnson's vocals are once again right up front. Add in keyboards, some wah, and lyrics like, "If summer's here, I'm not really feeling it;" and you've got something a little more weighty and serious for the band this time around.

Just as impeccably produced as the Clydes' last effort, "Hiding from the Summer" shows a different side of the band while maintaining everything that made Generator work.

Hiding from the Summer is out on May 22nd. The Clydes will celebrate with a release show that same evening at Rahway's Rail House with help from The Paper Jets, The Hostage Crisis, and Twins.

Quick Hits on The Clydes and Clouder

Been Meaning to Mention These

I think it was my senior year of college. We were living on 3rd Avenue between 7th and St. Mark's. There was this really short window of time between late 80s alternative and 90s grunge when power pop had kind of a hold on things -- for me, anyway. I'm thinking specifically of records like Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend or The Cavedogs' Joyrides for Shut-Ins. I played the hell out of those records, and I think I even saw both acts in 1991 / 1992 (Matthew Sweet at someplace like Tramps or Lonestar Roadhouse and Cavedogs at Maxwell's).

I started thinking about those years today after listening to a couple of things that I've had on my radar for the last little while.

The Clydes, Generator (2013). This EP from the New Brunswick quartet fits squarely into that sound I was just talking about. Second track "Marigold" with its bouncing, infectious guitar riff and clear as a bell vocals, achieves that kind of Beatle-esque feel that I think runs through the whole genre (And anything containing an "All Tomorrow's Parties" Velvet Underground / William Gibson reference is okay by me.). Similarly, "Shaken Down" features the sounds of classic power pop -- even throwing in some Girlfriend-style soloing about halfway through -- along with lots of "na na na's" and a nice lovelorn outsider lyric with "Everyone just sings along. / I don't even know the song." Things get a little darker, more psychedelic on "Bleak Street," but the slick production is there.

Clouder, Sister Raygun (March 4th, 2014, Fleeting Youth Records). While I wouldn't call the sophomore release from this Brooklyn five-piece full-on power pop, some of the elements are there on tracks like opener "Dancing in the Proving Grounds," "Lady Retrograde," and "Western Wasteland." Things here, though, definitely come down on the darker, punkier side of the spectrum. Lead singer Eric Gilstrap bellows and emotes his way through every track, lending Sister Raygun some real character. "Lost in Reverie" and "Phantom Girl" feature traces of surf and have a harder edge that reveals some of Clouder's less poppy influences.


Both records feature polished production that had me thinking "power pop," even in the case of Clouder where it may have been a bit of a stretch. Both also took me back a bit, to that time I spent living above McSorley's and their free rye bread and mustard on one side and Kim's Video on the other. That's pretty much where I come down as a "reviewer:" What does a particular record or bit of music make me think about in the moment? Not sure if that's useful to you, but what I will say is that you should give both of these a try.