KATIE BROWN - 11 AUG 2021

If you haven’t listened to the sizzling and snazzy new single that is Clap Clap Riot’s ‘It’s Alright’ yet, well, kids, you know what’s next on your to-do list. An infectious burst of get-out-of-your-head energy, it’ll have your foot tapping and your head bobbing before you know what’s gotten into them (we promise).

Released on the 16th of July and themed around “our ability to overthink things”, the single heralds the return of the Aotearoa indie-rockers and serves as a teaser for their upcoming fourth full-length album, currently being produced by Tom Healy out of Mt Eden studio The Lab and slated for release in the first half of 2022.

Nothing marks the return of a favourite act like the chance to see them live, and, friends, that’s exactly what you can do - and really soon! They kick off their Aotearoa tour in celebration of the single release at the end of next week, with their first show at Wellington’s Meow on Friday August 20th, followed by shows at Whammy in Auckland on Saturday August 21st, the Blue Smoke in Christchurch on Friday August 27th, and a finale at Dunedin’s Dive on Saturday August 28th.

Marking the beginning of a new chapter for Clap Clap Riot, the single release and tour are the next iteration of an act who’ve been making a pretty powerful name for themselves since 2012’s debut record Counting Spins. With a plethora of accolades and achievements under their belts, including the two stellar follow-up LPs Nobody / Everybody (2014) and Dull Life (2017), they have played sell-out shows across Australia and New Zealand, toured with the likes of Alt-J and played alongside The 1975, Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra.

We caught up with Clap Clap Riot’s Stephen Heard for a snappy little interview below - have a listen to ‘It’s Alright’ and take a read (and don’t forget to hook yourself up with your show tickets)!

TOUR DATES AND TICKETS:

Wellington - Meow on Friday, August 20. - BUY

Auckland - Whammy Bar on Saturday, August 21 - BUY

Christchurch - Blue Smoke on Friday, August 27 - BUY

Dunedin - Dive on Saturday, August 28 - BUY

Find Clap Clap Riot on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

KATIE: FIRST THINGS FIRST, WELCOME BACK – ‘IT’S ALRIGHT’ IS A BANGER OF A SINGLE (WE’RE DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR SPOTIFY PLAYS OVER THESE WAYS)! HOW’S IT FEELING TO HAVE A NEW TRACK OUT ON THE CIRCUIT?

Stephen: Thanks! A lot has happened since we released our last album and even started recording this set of new tracks so it feels refreshing to finally have something new out in the world.

2008 ‘DON’T WANT YOUR BABY’ VERSUS 2021’S ‘IT’S ALRIGHT’ – HOW’S THE VIBE THESE DAYS? WHAT’S CHANGED? WHAT’S STAYED THE SAME?

The recording approach for both of these songs was fairly similar. We prefer to start the process by laying down the bones of the song as a live track to capture some of the energy in the room. 'Don't Want Your Baby' was recorded in one day, while 'It's Alright' took place across a few months adding vocals later down the track. Having a strong pop chorus is something else we try and incorporate into each track.

WHAT’S THE SECRET TO STICKING TOGETHER AS A BAND FOR AS LONG AS YOU HAVE?

The three of us that started the band (Dave, Hemi and myself) have been friends since high school so it helps having a relationship outside of music.

HOW DO YOU APPROACH SONGWRITING AS A BAND? WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT, AND HAS THIS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

Dave and I are the core songwriters and we both come up with and share ideas, whether it's a chord progression or melody. From there, we take it to the practise room and bring everything together. Lyric writing is now mostly Dave's department.

COMING UP WITH NEW MATERIAL CONSISTENTLY ISN’T AN EASY ASK. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT KEEPING YOUR SOUND FRESH? WHERE DOES THE INSPIRATION COME FROM?

Sometimes I just press record, mash some random chords on my laptop keyboard and see what melody comes out. It's a great way to create a song if you don't already have an idea. I prefer to write with as little tools as possible to keep things fresh - sometimes I don't pick up my guitar until the first practise. Other times I could be inspired by the title of a song I write down on my phone or hearing a cool chord progression.

COVID-19, THE GOOD OL’ FUN POLICE, PUT A SPANNER IN THE WORKS FOR SO MANY OF US. HOW DID IT PLAY OUT FOR YOU ALL? WHAT’S THE BEST THING TO COME OUT OF HAVING HAD TO POSTPONE THINGS OVER THE PAST YEAR?

Our recording process was delayed significantly, which ended up giving us a lot more to time to plan the release and settle into the songs.

‘IT’S ALRIGHT’ IS ABOUT A TENDENCY TO OVERTHINK THINGS (AND WHO OF US DOESN’T!) – DID A PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE INSPIRE THE TRACK?

Dave wrote the lyrics for this and he said that the lyrics all came out in one big burst. He was stressing out about a whole bunch of stuff and wrote the song to remind himself to sit back and not get ahead of himself.

HAVING TOURED WITH THE LIKES OF ALT-J AND PLAYED ALONGSIDE THE 1975, JIMMY EAT WORLD AND MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, YOU HAVE A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF LIVE EXPERIENCE UNDER YOUR BELT(S). WHAT’S THE WILDEST THING THAT’S HAPPENED FOR YOU WHILE ON TOUR/PLAYING SHOWS?

We had no idea what to expect playing with The 1975 but it turned out to be one of the craziest shows we've played. The crowd was absolutely frothing during our set, with some people being pulled out from the barrier by the ambulance crew.

WHAT’S BEEN A STANDOUT HIGHLIGHT THUS FAR?

The gradual increase of numbers at our shows around the country has been great to see. Also playing in front of 80,000 people at the Christchurch earthquake benefit concert was insane.

WHO ARE YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE ACTS?

I really like the band Her's, but the unfortunate thing is that they died in a car accident a few years ago. It certainly brings another element when listening to their music. I also dig Dr Dog, Molly Payton, Kurt Vile, Merk and Arlo Parks.

YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A FULL ALBUM DUE FOR RELEASE IN 2022. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM IT?

Hot riffs, singalong choruses and at least one section of bass slapping.

AUGUST SEES YOU DOING A TOUR OF AOTEAROA’S MAIN CENTRES. HOW’S THE REST OF 2021 SHAPING UP AFTER THE TOUR?

The rest of the year we'll be focusing on finishing the new album. We have a couple of sessions booked in where we're enlisting a super band to record everything in the studio at the same time.

WHAT CCR NUGGET OF WISDOM CAN WE CARRY WITH US AS WE EAGERLY AWAIT THE RELEASE OF YOUR NEW ALBUM?

Treat everyone with respect and it will come back to you.