Bristol newcomer Myer U Clark is releasing his first album Tinderbox via Broadside Hacks Recordings on the 26th of June. The singer-songwriter has been making music since he was eight years old – and is still going strong. Getting his start in Bristol’s jam scene, he has since grown considerably and most recently played at Outer Town, where WAX got to speak to him.
Tinderbox was recorded during a 12-hour live session in producer Harry Wright’s living room. It gives the tracks a very intimate feeling – like he’s standing right in front of you, telling you his stories (maybe there’s a bonfire, maybe you are eating beans from a tin can before falling asleep in a sleeping bag under the stars).
Folk and singer-songwriter artists had their big moment in the early 2000s and it’s possible they’re having their next moment now. Country, a closely related genre, is certainly taking off even in the UK, where you’re never very far from the next Tesco Express. Myer’s music is showing us why people are being drawn to the genre: it’s nostalgia, escapism and stripped-back authenticity that is maybe lacking in our endless stream of algorithmic TikToks.
WAX got to sit down with Myer to speak about his new album and what influences he drew from.
Tell me about the new album. What is it about, what inspired it?
The album is about a few things. At the moment I have a tendency to see it as tracking the last three years or so of my progress as a songwriter, and the developments that have taken place. In that sense it’s almost like a compilation album, many of the songs were recorded in completely different environments with different people. That said, I like that the songs still fit together for me in spite of this. I can trace through the album an earlier pining voice growing into one that is more wholly itself but also one that recognises being a small part of something much larger too.
It’s sometimes about people and places I’ve encountered but maybe even more so about seeking to understand my inner world and self in relation to them through songs (as songs are so often good at doing). The songs are quite personal to me and several are among my favourites I’ve written so far. It’s about getting over self doubt and finding the spark.
You’ve told me before that you draw a lot of inspiration from Bristol’s jam scene. Was the album influenced by this too?
In all honesty, not particularly, no – at least not songwriting wise. On the other hand it is undeniable that its actual sound, specifically on the full band songs, was shaped with musicians who I’d met at these jams and gigs run by Community Jam Collective (among a plethora of other groups including Below the Belt who are doing similarly important work) and who had asked me if I’d like to play my songs with them. Harry Wright, who runs those jam nights, also played a generously big role in getting those band songs recorded – that being his engineering them in his living room in a single 12 hour session. We recorded a good 11 songs that day and miraculously five of those made it to the actual album, some of them being cut in just their first take, which was a fun and jam-like way to record. It was very enjoyable for me.
Where and when will people be able to hear your new album live?
We’re doing a pre-release show in Bristol on the 23rd of June with a full band, with several of the musicians who feature on the album, which will be nice. That’s at the Louisiana. After that, on the 27th, in London, I’m doing an album launch gig at Next Door Records Two which will be free entry, and the album comes out the day before that!
How does it feel to have your own album out there?
It’s been life affirming to have received all the things I already have from the songs and I imagine on the 26th I will feel quite content and just ready to get going with the next batch.
//Words: Clara Bullock//