I spoke with rising indie-pop star Claud Mintz about the recent release of their debut album,Super Monster.
When Claud Mintz decided to leave college following an opportunity to open for indie-pop duo The Marías, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. A short three years later, Claud put out their debut albumSuper Monsterunder the wing of Phoebe Bridger’s label Saddest Factory Records, and is making a splash in the music industry, to say the least.
Claud started making music in early childhood, but only started seriously releasing music in 2018. After learning to play a Feist song at their first keyboard lesson, Claud immediately knew that this art form was for them. Claud recalls that first pivotal lesson and says “it blew my mind that the whole song was only four chords, and made me realize that songwriting was maybe something I could do, too.” Since then, Claud has written countless songs, many of which were simply inspired by a mere passing thought that was written down in their notes app. The message that they hope to reiterate to their fans through their music is that “growth is not linear, and you still deserve to feel loved even when you've been made to feel like you don't.”
As a rising leader in the LGBTQ music community, Claud has made it a priority to to share their perspective in order to increase queer representation in media, and to simply make their fans feel less alone.Super Monstercaptures the ups and downs of falling in like or in love, as well as the trials and tribulations of adolescent relationships. All of this is done in an upbeat tone, capturing the feeling with the sounds of bedroom pop vocals and instrumentation.
Super Monsterisn’t meant to follow a storyline, but rather delves into the range of emotions we experience as young people and as individuals experiencing relationships. As Claud puts it, “there are energetic highs and lows of the record, like in the way that life has unpredictable high points and low moments.” The songs on this album embody this notion of the unpredictability of the future, and the fear that may come with that.
Overall,Super Monsteris an extremely relatable piece of work for Generation Z, and even more so for the LGBTQ community who has too often been excluded from mainstream music that talks about love. Through their debut album, Claud hopes that fans take away that “art isn’t this complex and unachievable thing, so don’t be afraid to make what feels right and roll with it.” In signing with Phoebe Bridger’s label Saddest Factory Records, Claud is sure to do big things while still maintaining their creative control and continuing on in a very DIY spirit. Claud is certainly an artist that speaks for this generation, and will continue to be a valued voice in the music industry as they continue to grow.
Listen toSuper Monsternow, streaming on all major platforms