Start Listening To: Clutter

Clutter’s sound is a messy, melodic reflection of dreams and the realities of life in Stockholm.

Hailing from Stockholm, Clutter is an alternative rock band that has already made a mark with their debut EP "Loves You," released earlier this year on PNKSLM. The quartet, featuring Emma, Hilda, Ove, and Ville, crafts music that blends youthful angst with a self-aware perspective on ambition. In this conversation, they reveal the inspiration behind their anthem "Superstar," born during a UK tour and shaped by their experiences on the road. As they navigate the challenges of balancing music with everyday life, Clutter’s authenticity shines through, making their journey relatable and their sound all the more compelling.

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

We’re Clutter, an alternative rock band from Stockholm, Sweden. We’re made up of four people, Emma (vocals, guitar, bass), Hilda (vocals, guitar, bass), Ove (guitar) and Ville (drums). We released our debut EP “Loves You” in April this year via the label PNKSLM.

‘Superstar’ feels like a perfect tour anthem, loud, messy, and a bit self-aware. How did it come together, and were you actually on the road when you wrote it?

The idea came for it while we were on the UK-tour with Hinds earlier this year. Me and Hilda sat in the back of the van listening to Pavement's “Range Life”, and then got the idea to write a song about our own experience. We finished it at home in Stockholm and wrote music for it together.

You’ve said it’s “a song for everyone who dreams about being a star.” Do you think chasing that dream still means the same thing it did in the 90s?

Maybe not…but to have a dream is important, it kind of keeps you alive. “Superstar” is our dream to write and perform our music, together as a band. But of course that looks different now than it did in the 90s, with social media and different expectations on artists.

Can you describe your songwriting process?

We usually start songs in the rehearsals with some guitar riff. Then me or Hilda comes up with a lyric for it, lately we’ve also written lyrics together such as “Superstar”. Then we write the music together and we often write a whole song before finishing it in the studio, where Ove produces everything and we record all instruments together while each adding input and ideas for the recordings.

Do you collaborate closely, or does each member bring individual ideas to the table?

We write all the songs together, often sitting in the same room. And of course we all come with different ideas, but all four have a part for the final result.

The visuals for 'Superstar' are quite striking. How did you collaborate with Henrik Luhr to create it?

We knew about Henrik's work before and really liked it. We had an idea to do something with a green screen and just like the video for “Jesus” wanted to include playing instruments. In the end we trusted his vision and the video turned out great!

How do you feel your sound has evolved since your debut EP, Loves You, and what has influenced that change?

“Loves you” feels in many ways as a compilation of everything we are as a band, at least up until the release of the EP. Some songs were written when we first started out as a band, such as “Kraut”. We’re now trying out new things, experimenting with more dual vocals and a playfulness in the songwriting. For the “Loves You” EP everything is written in the rehearsal space before recording, which we still like because it adds a “live-performance” feeling to it. But it’s been fun to try out other ways of writing - trying out ideas and sounds in the studio. 8. Can you tell us about any memorable moments from your recent UK tour with Hinds

that stand out to you?

Well…I guess you have to listen to our single “Superstar” to really get the feeling!! It was a memorable time overall, all the days seems blurred together looking back. One of the most fun nights was when we slept at Chemtrails (also on PNKSLM recordings) place in Manchester. We were all shy at first but ended up staying up a long time just talking in their kitchen and had a very nice time. The day after they had bought everything you can imagine for breakfast (Crumpets are my personal favourite, always used to look forward to those when I went to England as a child). Clutter loves Chemtrails!

How do you think your Swedish background influences your music and the themes you explore in your songwriting?

Stockholm is a very grey and cold city most of the year…with that said I love to live here - but the weather certainly makes it a bit depressing at times. I think you can see that in some of our lyrics, such as “Kraut” and “Jesus”. Stockholm actually has a quite vivid indie-scene right now, which makes it really fun to be in a band. It doesn’t feel competitive, everyone is so supportive towards each other!

What’s the atmosphere like during your live performances?

We always do our own thing on stage regardless of how the audience feels, I think that makes some people a bit uncomfortable haha. It’s really fun to play in Stockholm, as it’s our hometown and a lot of friends show up!

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a band?

Right now it’s not playing in a band in itself that’s hard, but more combining that with everything else in life…that would be different if we could do music full time of course - but as for now it’s getting everything together. We all have to work and study to make money and sometimes the scheduling is a bit challenging.

What do you love right now?

I was going to say I hate the cold frosty weather, but then Ville actually apparently loves it... Hilda loves blackberry marmalade and warm home cooked meals. Taking hot showers. We love hanging out with each other!

What do you hate right now?

That it’s freeeeeeezing here…and that it’s dark before 4pm. Classic Stockholm answers. 14. Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

We all have really different music-backgrounds, which makes it more interesting to write music together. I’ve always listened a lot to Pulp and I don’t think that will ever change, “This is Hardcore” is one of my favourite albums ever. Hilda, Ove and Ville are still really into Nevermind by Nirvana. And Hilda’s also recently listened a lot to Robyn's Body Talk, a classic!

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

Maybe that the music actually means something for us as a band…? We’ve got something to say with each song and playing music is what we really wanna do. The songs got some sort of “teenage-angst” to them, even though we’re not teenagers anymore.