Kate Clover
Bleed Your Heart Out
SONGVEST
With her retro-punk looks and a hint of 20th century horror, Kate Clover is taking center stage with her debut album Bleed Your Heart Out. Even just from glancing at her cover art, the listener can get a sense of Clover’s inspiration from crime and horror films of days past, with her pre-album singles and the LP recalling an aesthetic rooted in the pop art era. The album takes themes related to love and cranks it up a notch, with song titles like “Crimewave” even provoking a sense of fear to go along with a narrative that often feels akin to Bonnie and Clyde.
Among the album’s major standouts, “Pleasure Forever” creates a 1960s and ’70s proto-punk energy, while “Roulette” is a little on the slower side—but for that reason, is effectively haunting. I also thoroughly enjoyed “Crimewave” for its quickness and intensity. The guitar riffs across the album specifically remind me of ’70s rock guitar, while the rhythms bring the ’80s to mind, and Clover’s powerful vocals recall the ’90s riot grrrl movement. As a whole, Bleed Your Heart Out isn’t lovey-dovey, but there is a keen sense of passion. For the music to be so intense, there must be a reason. Whether it’s a person or just a feeling, there’s something that inspired Clover to take on this artistic endeavor and commit to expressing her emotions through the lens of retro-horror media.
I saw Kate Clover perform live a few months back and her presence caught my attention. She made everyone in the club admire the look she’d put together all while singing with a forceful tone. You’d never have guessed that she was the opener because everyone was invested in her performance as if she was the main reason they were there. Clover was able to harness this aesthetic and live energy while mashing a wide array of cool and inspirational themes into one album that introduces her as a voice to watch in the retro-punk scene.
