Clarence Clarity

Adam Mark Crisp (born c. 1985), known by the stage name Clarence Clarity, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and musician.[2] He has been praised for his unique, eclectic pop sound which was described by The Guardian as "funk played by a swarm of bees",[2] and is noted for his high degree of anonymity regarding his life outside of making music. Despite the similarity, Crisp has stated that his stage name was not overtly influenced by the meme template 'Sudden Clarity Clarence'.[3]

Clarence Clarity
Birth nameAdam Mark Crisp
BornLondon, England
Genres
Instruments
Years active2012–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteclarenceclarity.com

Career

Born in London and raised in Yateley and Fleet, Hampshire,[4][5] Crisp played with several rock bands in the 2000s. He released an album Acres Of Dead Space Cadets on Brighton Electric with Elle Milano. Following this he worked on small label Stella Mortos, moving into electronica under the name Entrepreneurs, and produced releases with vocalist Hannah Lou Clark (also a member of Arthur) under the name FOE.[6][7] He released a single "Fuck Tactics" as Entrepreneurs on London label Fear & Records in 2011.[8] Around this time he was also involved in a punk band The Premarital Sect and produced hip-hop instrumentals under the name The Super-Ego using Ableton Live production software.[9] He also produced folk 7" "Good Girl / Amazing Discovery" for Surrey six-piece Wildeflower in 2012.[10][11] He produced FOE's album Bad Dream Hotline in 2012.[12]

His first release under the name "Clarence Clarity" was 4GODSLUV[13] in 2012,[14] and he subsequently released his debut EP Save †hyself on the 37 Adventures label in late 2013. At this point in his career, Crisp promoted an air of anonymity around the project, preferring not to refer to his previous work and giving false and absurd information in press releases, such as rumours that he was from Fiji or that his music was a new Jai Paul project.[15][16] When asked about this by The Guardian, he replied with "I've got a musical history, and I suppose I don't want to have to justify why certain things in the past haven't taken off. I've wiped the slate clean a couple of times. It all feels necessary to have got here."[17][18][19]

In December 2014, Clarity released his second EP, Who Am Eye, now on the Bella Union label. The album cover features his face with a distorted mouth and removed some more of the anonymity behind the project.[16][20] In March 2015, he released his first full-length album, No Now, and also performed a session at Maida Vale Studios for Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1.[21] In 2016, Clarence released a single with Pizza Boy, "Splitting Hairs", and the SAME EP, which consists of the titular track "SAME" repeated 5 times.[22]

During 2017, Clarity helped produce Rina Sawayama's debut mini-album, RINA.[23] He also began releasing singles with minimal or no advertising, such as "Fold 'Em"[24] and "Naysayer Godslayer".[25] He continued this trend into 2018, as it was revealed that he was working on a project which was widely believed to be called Leave Earth. In September 2018, the album title was revealed to be labelled Think: Peace,[26] and was released independently on his Deluxe Pain label on 4 October 2018.[27] This album featured many of the previously released singles in remixed forms. Clarity also revealed that Leave Earth was actually a compilation playlist consisting of all his singles released from 2016 to 2018,[28] and continued to release singles for this playlist in pairs up until 31 December that year, finishing by releasing "Leave Earth"[29] and "Sob Story".[30]

On 20 March 2020 Clarity released an ambient album, Dead Screen Scrolls, as a pay-what-you-want on Bandcamp;[31] announcing an album was to be released only an hour previous.[32]

Clarence is presumed to be working on a project called Midieval Europe. He has mentioned it will be much more short-form than his previous albums.[33] He contributed a significant amount of the production for Rina Sawayama's debut album, Sawayama.[34]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album Details
No Now
Think: Peace
  • Released: 4 October 2018[27]
  • Label: Deluxe Pain
  • Formats: Digital download
Dead Screen Scrolls (Ambient Works, Vol. 1)
  • Released: 20 March 2020[31]
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Formats: Digital download
Midieval Europe
  • Released: TBA

Compilations

Title Compilation Details
Leave Earth
  • Released: 2016 - 31 December 2018
  • Label: Deluxe Pain / Self-Released
  • Formats: Digital download

Extended plays

Title EP Details
Save Thyself
  • Released: 17 September 2013
  • Label: 37 Adventures
  • Formats: Digital download, 12" Single
Who Am Eye
  • Released: 2 December 2014
  • Label: Bella Union
  • Formats: Digital download, 12" Single

Singles

Title Year Album
"4GODSLUV" 2012 Non-album singles
"KADYクソPERRY"
"Alive in the Septic Tank" 2013 Save Thyself
"The Gospel Truth"
"Those Who Can't, Cheat" 2014 Who Am Eye
"Buck-Toothed Particle Smashers" (ft. Kill J) 2015 No Now
"Will to Believe"
"Cancer™ In The Water" (A.J. Crew edit) 2016 Non-album singles
"Splitting Hairs" (ft. Pizza Boy)
"Vapid Feels Are Vapid" Think:Peace
"Same"
"Now I Am Become Death" (Vocal Version) Non-album singles
"W€ CHANG€" 2017 Think: Peace
"Fold 'Em" (ft. Shadi)
"Naysayer Godslayer"
"Next Best Thing" 2018
"Adam & The Evil" (ft. Pizza Boy)
"Your Secrets" (with Kai Whiston) Kai Whiston Bitch
"Rafters" (ft. A.J. Crew) Leave Earth
"1985"
"Telenovela"
"Del Rey Dreamhouse"
"Untrust In Us Together"
"Anthropic Principles"
"Bipolar Rainbows"
"Deafening Red"
"Sob Story"
"Leave Earth"

Songwriting and production credits

Title Year Artist Album
"Ballad for the Brainkeepers" 2012 FOE Bad Dream Hotline
"Mother May I?"
"Jailhouse"
"Tyrant Song"
"A Handsome Stranger Called Death"
"Get Money"
"The Black Lodge"
"Genie in a Coke Can"
"Ode to Janey Lou"
"Dance & Weep"
"Cold Hard Rock"
"Bad Dream Hotline"
"Valentine (What's It Gonna Be?)" 2018 Rina Sawayama Non-album single
"Ordinary Superstar" Rina
"Cyber Stockholm Syndrome"
"Alterlife"
"10-20-40"
"Take Me as I Am"
"Time Out (Interlude)"
"Cherry" Non-album singles
"Flicker"
"Mannequin" HMLTD Hate Music Last Time Delete EP
"Apple of My Eye"
"Thirsty (For Love)" 2020 Dorian Electra Non-album single
"Dynasty" Rina Sawayama Sawayama
"STFU!"
"Akasaka Sad"
"Paradisin'"
"Fuck This World (Interlude)"
"Snakeskin"
"Give Great Thanks" Dorian Electra My Agenda

Remixes

Title Year Artist
"Faith" 2014 I Break Horses
"Ladders" 2015 Archive
"Midnight Sun" Kate Boy
"Heartbreak Hi" 2016 Avec Sans
"Gone" 2019 Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens

References

  1. "'THINK: PEACE' is R&B Eccentric Clarence Clarity's poppiest record yet". Ballstate Daily. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  2. "Clarence Clarity (No 35)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S0MuQKZkAY
  4. Entrepreneurs (No 970). The Guardian (2011-02-17). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  5. Hannah Shark sings for South:Live. BBC. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  6. Foe (No 1,003). The Guardian (2001-04-12). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  7. Foe On Her Past, Present & Future…. Repeat Fanzine (August 2011). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  8. Approved: Entrepreneurs. Complete Music Update (2011-03-01). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  9. Entrepreneurs. DIY Magazine (2011-04-07). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  10. Adam M. Crisp. Discogs. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  11. FOE (8). Discogs. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  12. FOE – Bad Dream Hotline. The Skinny (2012-01-25). Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  13. 4GODSLUV
  14. Subscribe. "Clarence Clarity: The man, the mystery". DIY. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  15. Dunn, Francesca (19 February 2015). "2, 4, 6, 8… we appreciate clarence clarity". I-D. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  16. "Clarence Clarity". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  17. McQuaid, Ian (3 January 2015). "Clarence Clarity: 'I feel too normal'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  18. "Clarence Clarity". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  19. Subscribe. "Clarence Clarity: The man, the mystery". DIY. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  20. "Clarence Clarity announces WHO AM EYE EP, streams first track". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  21. Subscribe. "Clarence Clarity plays Maida Vale session for Radio 1". DIY. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  22. "SAME EP - Clarence Clarity". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  23. "Rina Sawayama and Clarence Clarity team up for haywire anthem "Alterlife"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  24. "Clarence Clarity teases second record Leave Earth with tormented-soul single "Fold 'Em"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  25. ""Naysayer Godslayer" is the new deranged R&B jam from Clarence Clarity". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  26. Clarity, Clarence (4 September 2018). "My 2nd album is called THINK: PEACE and it will be out in one month". @clarenceclarity. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  27. THINK: PEACE, archived from the original on 10 February 2019, retrieved 9 February 2019
  28. Clarity, Clarence (4 October 2018). "Leave Earth". @clarenceclarity. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  29. Leave Earth, archived from the original on 9 February 2019, retrieved 9 February 2019
  30. Sob Story, archived from the original on 9 February 2019, retrieved 9 February 2019
  31. "DEAD SCREEN SCROLLS | Clarence Clarity". Bandcamp. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  32. Clarity, Clarence (20 March 2020). "I've been waiting for the right time to release an ambient album. Today is that day". @clarenceclarity. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  33. "r/indieheads - CLARENCE CLARITY - HI! ASK ME ANYTHING". reddit. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  34. "Rina Sawayama Announces Tour and Debut Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  35. "ALBUM BIO: Clarence Clarity - NO NOW [Bella Union] (Out Monday, 2 March 2015)". Mushroom Promotions. 8 February 2015. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
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