PREMIERE: Clovr's 'Cold' (ft. Amela) Is A Wonderfully Wonky, Very Sweet Song Of Acceptance

15 August 2017 | 2:40 pm | Staff Writer

'If society was more accepting, the world would be a much better place.'

Emergent north Queensland producer Clovr has unveiled the stylish, monochromatic clip for his delightfully off-kilter but deeply sincere new single, Cold, featuring fellow Queenslander Amela on vocals.

The tune itself has already garnered the up-and-comer considerable critical praise, picking up rotation on triple j Unearthed and earning the attention of Richard Kingsmill, as well as accumulating more than 60,000 streams in less than a month once it was added as part of Spotify's New Music Fridays.

It's not hard to see why; the song carries some fun, funky little quirks and an inherent musical innocence, while Amela's mellifluous vocals bring a warmth and familiarity to the wonky, stop-start samples and instrumentation.

Cold began life, somewhat ironically, on one of the hottest days of the year, just as Clovr was "coming out of a really bad writer's block", he says.

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"Coming from north Queensland, I locked myself in my studio to distract myself from the heat, and sort of just got hit with the idea which eventually, made on the hottest day of the year, became Cold.

"Around that time, I had been thinking about a lot of public issues and how, if society was more accepting, the world would be a much better place, so when it came to making the clip, that's what I wanted to express to people."

Clovr collaborated with producer Natasha Walford and director Joseph Meldrum — with whom the muso has worked before — to create the clip, which stars AJ Luppes, Melody Crow, Lisa Baldo-Kibunja, Siobhan Gibbs and Nina Culley, an ensemble who, Clovr says, left him "blown away by how well they drew me into the storyline".

"It was an honour to collaborate with Joseph again," he said. "He's an outstanding cinematographer/director, and I really don't think this is the last time him, his crew and I will work together."

Clovr says he had a pretty distinct idea from the start that the clip should reflect the song's lyrical themes of acceptance, and that everybody was on the same page from the outset, ensuring that the end result remained true to the muso's original intent.

"Amela was really on the same page with me when it came to the meaning behind the track, and we wanted to really convey that meaning with the clip as well," he explained. "So, Joseph and I came up with something based on accepting people for who they are and embracing people's differences.

"I want it to show that there are no restrictions when it comes to love and I think that the clip has really nailed that."

Clovr will play the 'Underground at BIGSOUND' event at Greaser, Brisbane, on 5 September, as well as a show at the Milk Factory, with Georgia Reed, on 8 September. He's also got a slot lined up at Mackay's TimberFest on 23 September.

To keep on top of Clovr's other movements and releases, head to his Facebook page.