The Warm Fuzziness of HLC Taped
Sometimes a writing opportunity just jumps out at you, and you have to roll with it. Charlotte Anne Clark, formerly known as Ark, is an artist I followed after seeing her support Astraea in the beautiful St. James' Church Piccadilly. In early January, Clark posted a photo of herself in a white dress and wearing a bunny mask, whilst tagging another artist saying that this was in fact for their work, and not for her.
That artist is Hannah Lou Clark, Charlotte's older sister. The photograph she posted relates to a music video released by Hannah called Trigger Happy Kisses. This is the first track on a new EP, released in February, called HLC Taped. What immediately grabbed me about this release is that aside from a couple of sweetening overdubs from Matty Moon, the entirety of it is recorded to four track tape by HLC. As someone who spent their teenage years recording to this medium, I couldn't help but be interested. In addition to this, half of all the proceeds of this EP will go to CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), who are a lifeline to people especially during lockdown.
The glorious sound of tape has nowhere to hide. As soon as Trigger Happy Kisses begins, you can hear it, coupled with a classic lo-fi drum machine that underpins this entire track. Whether or not the acoustic guitar at the beginning was intentional, this EP is full of little titbits of sound. A rhythmic synth that fits with the drumbeat like a glove plays in unison with it. In the distance you swear you can hear a taste of a vocal. The bleed of an unused rehearsal take? There's something new upon each listen. This comes just before the real vocal begins, and we have majick. Hannah Lou Clark's voice is like liquid gold. 'Lips done, spray tan, pop in the citalopram. Nails done, hair dyed, wedding ring - let it slide.' Two sentences and we're already building up a picture. The chorus comes with an electric piano, perfectly complimenting what's already there. This is followed by a synth with more pronounced bass. 'You used to be a lady, I saw you in the movies...' There's some electric guitar too. It's unclear what parts Matty Moon contributed, with his credit written up as 'extra parts, production and mastering'.
The video is an entirely self-made affair. What could you do with a huge budget that you couldn't do with a pair of roller-skates, a basketball court and some roses? Filmed by the sisters, Charlotte dressed in white and Hannah in black seems a conscious decision. The sky is moody and grey, somehow the sunshine wouldn't cut it. The Bunny scatters roses, plays with HLC's hair and skates around while Hannah performs the song, seemingly unaware of The Bunny's presence. The image of this character offering roses is the cover of the EP itself.
Care begins with a beat more up-tempo coupled with electric guitar. The beat tumbles around like tennis balls in a barrel kicked down a hill. 'Five AM, watching TV, open heart surgery, I'm wondering what my heart looks like.' Don't we all? Multiple layers of guitars are built up as the track progresses, the rhythmic one running with the beat and more melodic distorted lines on top. Matty Moon wrote on instagram that he contributed lead guitar to this one. There are even vocal harmonies, or at least a double. The feel is entirely driven by the guitar layers, not a synth to be heard. The song finishes with the beat cutting out and Hannah repeating the chorus, 'Show me how, show me how, show me how to care.'
The brand new video for Care is a lockdown wonder, set in front of a backdrop of pink while HLC wears a short wig of the same colour, the idea is simple but fun. She sings the track and plays guitar on and off. Hannah also participates in a music video ritual of holding up painted signs with choice words of the lyrics. Bonus points are awarded especially for the disco lighting. Is there anything more rewarding than removing your wig at the end of a video shoot?
The third track on the EP is Tin Chandeliers. This has another feel yet fits entirely in with the tracks heard so far. Devoid of drums this time and driven by acoustic guitar, the vocal opens with the line, 'take the best room in the house, clean and gut it out...' You can almost imagine the take of this being performed. Keyboard is added, a light touch that sounds like electric piano. There are backing vocals too, as well as some electric guitar, both of which really complete the track. 'All my hopes and all my fears hang down from tin chandeliers,' is a line that both moves and makes you think.
HLC Taped closes out with King of the World. It goes straight in with a vocal and acoustic guitar. 'Got a major role in the school play, my outfit dragged along the ground, nothing can bring me down, I was the king of the world.' There's some welcome live percussion on this track, actually there's more than you immediately notice. I could imagine this being performed live, especially as a band piece replicating this arrangement. It's a warm number and the perfect way to end this collection of music.
Hannah has been kind enough to answer some questions about the new EP. Some of these come from before lockdown, and some of them after the release of the Care video. I only say this because pre-lockdown feels like half a world away now!
1. Your new EP was recorded to tape! Talk us through the recording process - what was the four track you used and what was the thought process behind using tape?
I started out recording my very first demos on a Tascam 4 track my dad bought me when I was 15, and since then it’s something I’ve re visited a lot. You just can’t beat the warm fuzziness, and in particular the overdrive you can get from the tape machine. My general recording set up had ended up becoming quite stripped back again over the last few years, and so I decided to work with my limitations and dig out the 4 track again. It’s a process I’m familiar with, and so I knew I would be able to work quickly and have fun with it.
2. Are there many outtakes from the tape sessions? Were multiple takes recorded and the best ones chosen?
The trickiest song to capture was ‘Care’, and there are a couple of different versions of it. There is an acoustic version where you can hear me shouting at my dog at the end! On the whole, it was about capturing the moment, and I only rewound the tape a few times here and there. I prefer not to focus too much on small mistakes or imperfections, as they usually end up giving things more charm! Tape is great for that…you have to just commit and move on.
3. Would you talk in more detail about Matty Moon's contribution to the EP?
Matty is a friend of my Husband’s, who recommended I get in touch with Matty to talk about mastering the tracks. Once a dialogue started we decided to delve into things a bit more, and Matty ended up adding some extra musical elements on to each song. The only direction really was to keep the sound and vibe of the tape machine, but give the songs a bit of a lift where needed. It was such a fun way of working, as I would send over my tape mix with minimal direction, and then it would come back with a new lease of life! Me and Matty have only actually met once in person for about 10 minutes at my wedding!
4. The Bunny character appears both in the Trigger Happy Kisses video and the cover-art of the EP, what does the Bunny represent?
I was making the video myself, and so I knew I needed a strong visual image to distract from my lack of knowledge about film haha! To be honest, I’m really not sure where the bunny on roller-skates idea came from, but I’ve always played with the idea of alter egos, and imaginary friends. Maybe the bunny is another version of myself? These things tend to reveal themselves to me further down the line, so I’ll come back to you on that!
5. Will there be a physical release for this EP?
I hope to make a limited run of cassettes, as it would be rude not to right?! Just saving some pennies for that…
6. Half of the proceeds from this EP will be going to CALM, what inspired this decision?
Sadly one of my friends took his own life last September. He was someone very close to me and my music career, and I am so grateful to him for so many opportunities I’ve had. This EP, and generally getting new music out there again was dedicated to him. I wanted to give half the proceeds to CALM, as they do great work in campaigning against suicide, and empowering people to share their experiences and get help before reaching a crisis point.
7. Was Care always going to be the second video?
Yes, as I wanted to release in order of the EP.
8. Without the lockdown, what would the Care video have looked like? Would it be any different?
It definitely would have been different if we weren’t in lock down. I was planning on visiting my sister in Cornwall as she is studying with film. We were hoping to work on something together. We will still do this of course in the future. I think it’s so important right now to keep putting stuff out. People need entertainment more than ever, and artists need to keep working. Both are so important for mental health. I just had to work with what I had in the house, but it was fun. I found my little pink care bear for example, and that was kind of a catalyst.
9. Is there something of an alter ego in this video too?
Wearing the wig was supposed to be a little nod to my alter ego FOE days, but while I was performing in this vid I was just being myself. It’s fun to play dress up.
10. You've just finished a short tour, is there somewhere you've always wanted to play that you haven't yet?
I would LOVE to play some shows in America…but having people turn up to shows anywhere that is not my home town still feels like a blessing! It would be amazing to tour the world, and everything that goes along with that. Meeting new people and experiencing different ways of life while playing music every night!
11. You mentioned on instagram that you'll be working on a full record, will it have the same vibe as HLC Taped?
The new record will no doubt have some ‘tapey’ and lo fi moments on it, but I plan to record with a full band, so the whole thing will sound a lot bigger. We were supposed to be going into the studio just before lockdown happened, so unfortunately things are on hold for the time being. I’m hoping I can use the time to write some more..maybe my ideas for the record will change during this time?!
Find HLC @hannahlouclark on instagram, listen to HLC Taped below via bandcamp!
