Photo by: Tess Roby
After moving from Europe over two years ago, this Montreal-based singer-songwriter turns conflicting feelings into sincere songs. Alicia Clara writes about the happenings of everyday life in her creation of a dreamy blend of pop, indie rock and shoegaze.

On the heels of an impressive founding year, Montreal’s new record label – Hot Tramp Records, drops Clara’s EP Outsider/Unusual which was the result of a collaboration on arrangements with Luke Pound, Patrick Drummond and Michael Kalman – who was also the producer. Hot Tramp’s first album release comes in the form of Clara’s deeply introspective look into a period of heartbreak, loss, and the lack of a sense of purpose.

Leading up to her release, Clara shared singles “Five”, “Hazemaze” and “Stones Like Eyes.” The three tracks garnered much attention from leading media outlets and topping popular streaming playlists.

On her latest single, she proclaimed:

“I wrote [Stones Like Eyes] in October 2019, and it almost didn’t make the cut because I felt a bit disconnected from it. I always have a hard time explaining what this track is about, but I would say it’s an ode to our perishable nature as human beings. Part of me weirdly believes I’m eventually going to fix everything from the past and transcend my problems, but the truth is I’m not. I’m not sure what was going on in my mind when I wrote this, but it feels fitting for the current times.”


Drawing from a variety of eras and genres – from 70s folk pop to 90s shoegaze, Clara notes specific influences from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Cocteau Twins, Weyes Blood, Westerman, Men I Trust and Helena Deland, which evidently shaped Outsider/Usual's transcendent soundscape.

As a whole, the record is reflective of Clara’s journey through the study of astrology – which helped her to better understand aspects of her personality that she had struggled to grasp. The title of the EP itself was derived from the astrological description of her character as being an “outsider/unusual.”

Like the sky, space and everything between, the different inspirations on her latest collection are vast and boundless.

Clara’s album release show – presented by New Colossus Festival, Hot Tramp and Exclaim! will be streaming online tonight at 5PM.

OUTSIDER/UNSUAL TRACKLISTING:

OUTSIDER/UNSUAL
HAZEMAZE
FLOWERS WERE BETTER
STONES LIKE EYES