Clarity Allures Audiences with Psychedelic Soul and Gothic Blues
New single creates the perfect mix of haunting melodies and soulful vocals
There is an allure to the sound that local psychedelic soul and gothic blues artist Clarity gives to her music that is hard to pinpoint, and after listening to her on and offstage, it’s that unidentifiable appeal that serves as my personal buy-in.
Combined elements of neo-soul and psychedelia make up the general sound behind Clarity’s music. Yet, the slowed pacing of the instrumentals weaving in and out of the tracks adds an atmospheric melody that can shift between haunting, enticing and foreboding.
Her latest single, “Mirage of Fate,” released on June 28 and performed at Clarity’s July 6 show at Petra’s, is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The slow burn of the bass at the beginning of the track, isolated until a few moments in, seems to summon Clarity to the microphone, her voice arriving piecemeal in echoes until she fully enters the scene.
Her lyrics and the delivery through which they arrive are laced with the pain, derived from the artist’s own literal chronic pain, a result of neurological disorder.
“The devil represents the archetype of that pain,” she says. “Despite the challenges, I’ve unearthed solace in movement.”
Drums and guitar pair with the bassline, adding to the atmosphere yet never losing the desolate feelings introduced at up front. The track marks the first collaborative efforts between Clarity and her new band — Drumsmoke on drums, Allison Friday on bass, and Stephen Pane on guitar.
The song becomes a slow dance, enjoyable in its movement despite the sorrowful melancholy that comprises much of the emotion throughout.
A track still on the setlist from 2023, “Purple,” sets a stark but welcome contrast. The drums switch places with the bass to kick this track off, finding Clarity in a state of euphoria rather than suffering, A love song through and through, the keys added in bring a levity to the warmer emotion in the vocals.
The pain gone, if only for a short time, Clarity’s voice carries a giddy quality in “Purple,” one that matches the excitement one feels when discussing what it feels like to be loved. The backing instruments on this track also work off of a slowed-up pacing, adding more with less and giving listeners a bit of an elevated depth to swoon on.
In either case, Clarity is able to peel back the layers of her heart and fully embrace the emotions within, painting with light and shadow as the situation calls for each within the thralls of the music.
An artist like Clarity is the perfect pairing for headphones and a cup of warm tea, a setting that allows listeners to be drawn deeply into her world.
