Acclaimed Australian singer songwriter Imogen Clark introduced herself last month to global audiences with the release of Big One. Inspired by artists ranging from HAIM and Maggie Rogers back to Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow, Imogen Clark’s storytelling indie-pop is deeply personal and diaristic as her songs elevate intimate emotions to arena-scaled anthems. Kicking off shows with legendary troubadour Steve Poltz, Clark has now shared Squinters, a co-write with Poltz and the latest taste of her new album The Art of Getting Through which follows on the 31st May.
Imogen Clark
“This song is my worst nightmare set to music, the life I could have led if I’d never gotten out of my hometown, if I’d never found the strength to fight for myself.” Clark explains. “There’s a type of person who lives in Western Sydney, nicknamed “squinters” because they work a 9 to 5 job closer into the city, so they’re always driving home towards the west when the sun is setting, squinting to see the highway ahead. We were trading lines back and forth so fluidly, like I’d had this song percolating inside of me and waiting for the right person to bring it to boil with. We finished it in an hour and went to gorge ourselves on tacos”.
Squinters was one of the last songs written and first songs recorded for the album. Clark and Poltz had crossed paths at Port Fairy Folk festival, and convened in Nashville two months later to write. Immediately taken with the song, Imogen asked producer Sam Hawksley to convene a murderer’s row of players at Peter Frampton’s Studio Phenix, musicians whose playing had soundtrack Imogen’s childhood on records by Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, Taylor Swift, Stevie Nicks and many more.
The single release is accompanied by a live performance at the Golden Retriever studio in Sydney, Australia. Watch it below:
“Imogen is a lovely coconspirator in the game of scribbling down songs,” says Steve Poltz. “We caught some lyrics in our butterfly nets at my home in Nashville and mixed those words together with some chords in a blender. Then we added some salt and the next thing you know we had a new song called Squinters. We baked it in the oven and sliced it up. What a great experience it was. I hope all you freaks like it too. Imogen is the real deal”.
Squinters joins Big One, All Hard Feelings and If I Want In in building anticipation for the 13-track The Art Of Getting Through. Recorded between Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Melbourne and Nashville, the album is the most ambitious artistic statement yet from an artist who is always challenging herself to push beyond her boundaries, an album about shouldering the weight of life’s baggage and power forward.
Imogen Clark
Imogen Clark is not just an artist; she’s a storyteller, a fighter, and a dreamer. She spent her teen years at Penrith High by day, playing Western Sydney bars at night, learning how to make her voice heard and honing her chops as an electric live performer. Today, she stands as a testament to transcending familiar boundaries, driven by her roots and an unwavering ambition that led her to stages across the globe. Her songs capture moments, memories, and confessions from her journey, battling anxiety and insecurity to fight for who she is and what she believes in. The AIR-nominated Bastards EP followed her similarly acclaimed The Making Of Me from 2020, while her other early career highlights have included an ambitious 100 Shows in 100 Days tour as her annual Holiday Hootenanny shows.
Clark has previously collaborated with members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello’s Imposters, Gang Of Youths, My Morning Jacket, and toured with The Tallest Man On Earth, Bowen & Young, Robyn Hitchcock, Dan Sultan and INXS legend Andrew Farriss. Clark will play her debut UK headline show on Wednesday 10 July at The Green Note in London.
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