Start Listening To: Clutter

A noisy, nostalgic debut, a love letter to growing up, and a band learning to thrive in the chaos.

Sweden’s Clutter make music that hits like a sudden burst of cold air: sharp, honest, and impossible to ignore. Rooted in indie rock but spiked with grunge grit and post-hardcore urgency, their songs feel both chaotic and carefully held together, like a diary scrawled in the dark. With their debut EP Clutter Loves You on the way and a tour alongside Hinds under their belt, the Stockholm-based four-piece are carving out their sound one noisy, heartfelt track at a time. We caught up with them to talk early influences, emotional honesty, dead pigeons, and why chaos might just be the point.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

Hello! We're Clutter, a band from Stockholm, Sweden. We have played together for about 3 years and play indie rock with grunge and post-hardcore influences. The band consists of Ove Jerndal on guitar, Ville Scott on drums, and Emma French and Hilda Ander on vocals, bass and guitar.

Your debut EP Clutter Loves You is coming out soon. What’s the meaning behind the title, and how does it reflect the themes of the record?

The title came about when we were customizing vinyl sleeves for our 7" Jesus/Holy Brother. We tried to come up with a good line and ended up writing Clutter Loves You. It's very honest and a way to say thanks, we're very thankful for everyone supporting us. And the EP is really a collection of our earliest songs so it makes it all more important. As a young musician every compliment matters, and we love everyone who has helped us so far haha.

Your music has been described as walking the line between chaos and control. How do you approach that balance when writing and performing?

I don't think this EP has been very intentional, it has just been us discovering our identity as a band. But I guess that's what being a band is like? We try to stay in control but sometimes it still ends up like chaos. When we record we try to capture what we sound like playing live, but that's also like trying to control chaos I guess? I like the description and I think all of us in the band compliment each other well, maybe that's how we find a balance.

There’s a strong grunge and post-hardcore influence in your sound. Were there any specific bands or records that shaped the way you approach music?

We have been influenced by a lot of bands as we all listen to a lot of different music. Ville is really into The Jesus Lizard and we all love Nirvana. We love The Breeders, Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill. And we all also really like pop-music? It's a good mix.

Your lyrics touch on existential themes. What kinds of ideas or emotions were you exploring when writing Clutter Loves You?

The songs are mostly about growing up. They all wary in age, like Kraut is one of the first songs we wrote together, Hilda probably wrote the lyrics when she was seventeen? While Geeks is a lot newer. So they are all quite nostalgic and I think they capture a very honest reaction to becoming a young adult and losing your youth. What felt important then, what feels important now. The lyrics are very straight forward but that's what makes them special, it's a time capsule.

The energy in your songs is intense and urgent. Do you find that energy comes naturally in the studio, or does it come alive more in your live performances?

I think it comes alive on stage, but like I said, we always try to capture our live sounds when we record. That might mean adding new elements, but the urgency and emotion is present both live and in the studio.

You’re currently on tour with Hinds. How has that experience been, and what have you learned from sharing the stage with them?

It's been so great. They are very professional and we're impressed by their energy. They never seem tired and they are always nice to everyone around them. That's very special. We've learnt a lot from them and each other I think. It's been a great experience.

Your single “Kraut” has a relentless drive to it. Can you talk about how that track came together and what inspired it?

I think Ove just said he wanted to write a krauty song. Neu! and bands like Les Big Byrd were inspiring us but in the end it didn't sound very krauty at all haha. The lyrics came about when Hilda went home from a party I believe, it was like an hour by train and that was the starting point.

The video for “Jesus” is visually striking. How involved are you in shaping the visual side of Clutter, and how important is that element to your identity as a band?

We're very involved. The whole video was our idea and with help from our friends we captured it. I think the visual side is very important. We're still finding our style and aesthetic but it's really fun to think about and I think we all really enjoy trying to come up with videos or photo ideas, album covers, etc.

As a band of 20-year-olds, do you feel like your age influences your songwriting, or do you find yourselves drawn to themes and sounds beyond your generation?

Yes absolutely! I guess our sound and lyrics are quite timeless but at least so far our song writing feels very based on where we are in life. Themes of nostalgia and growing up are very present. Musically I guess we're more drawn to 90's or early 2000s sounds so that’s beyond our generation? But our parents grew up listening to that kind of music so we'll always be trapped in our ages in some way haha. 

Your music has a raw, unfiltered quality. Do you prefer a more DIY approach in the studio, or do you like to experiment with production?

We like the DIY approach, at least for now. Because this is our first release it has felt important to keep it very us, since it's basically our introduction, and we've done almost everything ourselves. But of course we experiment as well! Ove has produced all of the tracks and we're usually the whole band while we record, so if someone has a weird idea we'll try it and see how it goes.

Stockholm has a rich music scene. How has being from Sweden shaped your sound, if at all?

I think it has. Swedish people are quite reserved, not that outgoing, so I think that has drawn us to bands we can see ourseleves in. The shoegaze scene for example was very comforting because I saw what they did on stage and thought "yeah, that could be me". It dosen't have to be extravagant, it just has to be us! Sweden also has some great bands, we all grew up listening to swedish punk and love the 90s indie scene here, but I do think there is an unmistakable melancholia in all great Swedish bands. It's cold and dark here and that has to affect everyone, especially the creatives.

What do you love right now?

Spring! We all love ramen and good sandwiches. Emma is really into spending money on coffee and listening to KNEECAP on repeat. Ville is really into guitars. Hilda and Ove are still not over Succession.

What do you hate right now?

I saw a dead pigeon today and hated seeing that. Very sad.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you? 

Hilda says Lorde, Pure Heroin. It's just amazing, so nostalgic. I love music that breaks my heart while also making me wanna dance. Also Nevermind, same reason. Emma's always listened a lot to Pulp and as they just released a new single it now becomes exciting all over again. 

You’re headlining a show at The Lexington in April. What can people expect from a Clutter live set?

I don't know, come find out!