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PREMIERE: CLAWS Distill Perfect Summer on 'Daydream'

It's the second EP from the Norwich four-piece and it'll cheer you right up.

The first time I saw Norwich, England four-piece CLAWS, they were playing to 40 people in a cave beneath a shit pub in the center of the city. It was raining outside, probably. All I remember is the band tearing through a six-song set of pure goddamn sunshine, no frills, no routines, just hooks and riffs and perfect melodies. They were a pop band in the most brilliant sense, burrowing under an audience’s skin with the perfect line, creating the impression that each track has been around for decades, honed over time and handed down.

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That was early on, back in 2014, and the foundations were in place. By the time they got to the clattering, lo-fi No Sleep EP in 2015, things had started to grow. It tore through itself, a grin plastered on its face the whole way through. The title track was practically irresistible, lead singer Josie Steward’s melodies intensely and intentionally catchy.

Their new EP Daydream, premiering on Noisey today ahead of its July 2 release, marks another step forward for the band without sacrificing any of those essential, joyous qualities. From opener “L.O.V.E.” and all its emotional wanderlust right through to the flawless, Cloud Nothings-esque riff of “Brainwash,” it’s a more polished album. But it’s not shiny; rather there’s a new clarity to the sound, drawing the melodies out further. It’s a summer record, at heart, and it’s one of the most effortlessly charming pieces of guitar pop to come out this year. It's also the sound of a pop band on the brink of something truly great.

We dropped Steward a line to ask about what went into the record. Check it all out below.

Noisey: So, how and when did you guys start playing music together?
Josie Steward: We've all been in local bands together and have known each other through the local scene for a good six or seven years but we formed CLAWS in early 2014. We wanted to start something new and fun. I think we managed to do that.

Norwich can be a cold and rainy place and the closest seaside experience is Yarmouth. How did you end up playing music that sounds sunnier than that?
Norwich is a very gloomy place at times but when the sun is out we all love a good trip to Yarmouth or Cromer to sit by the sea and eat some fish and chips. Morgan and I also went travelling in the summer of 2014 to West Coast America and Europe so there could be some influence from that I guess. We're also all heavily influenced by bands like Weezer, Buzzcocks, and Wavves who all have such uplifting summer vibes about them.

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You’ve all had experience playing music in the East long before CLAWS. What are the pros and cons of playing in a band in a city like Norwich?
The pros of living in Norwich are that everybody in the music scene is so tight and supportive of each other. We're like a little family. We've got some great small DIY venues like The Owl Sanctury and Norwich Arts Centre which are great to play in and have a lot of great bands passing through them. The con of living in Norwich is that it is harder to get yourself out there. Not living in a big city like London or Manchester where there are so many more record labels, PR people, management teams. Although we do travel around the UK playing shows, we can't as much as we would like to.

You’ve been putting out singles for a couple years. How long did the EP take to come together?
We released the No Sleep EP at the beginning of last year and then released the single “Bad Luck” at the end of the year. We have been wanting to release another EP for a while but were waiting until we had four songs that we all felt were strong enough to release together. The Daydream EP is a bit more polished and less lo-fi than our other recordings, but we felt like we should up our game a bit. We recorded it over two days at Crystal Sound Studios with our friend Tom Joy who we have all known for years and he really knew what sound we were going for.

What were you listening to when you were working on the record?
We had a few records on repeat. The new Weezer album, Wavves’s V and Dune Rats’s self-titled album. We also have all really been getting into Turnover since we toured with them in January.

What’s your songwriting process like? Do you come in with fully formed songs and work around that, or is it a big ol’ group effort?
It's quite a strange process. Josie and Morgan write the song’s structure, vocals, and rhythm guitar sections together and then bring them to practice. Then drums, bass, and lead guitar are all worked around the basic structure. We can all tell within minutes of playing a new song whether its going to work or not.

Name three distinct ways that British documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux has influenced you musically and personally.
Louis Theroux has influenced us all in so many ways. If you have never seen the rap episode of Louis Theroux's Weird Weekend series then you should watch it now and you will understand why. He is a lyrical genius. He's such a cool guy who is not afraid to ask daring questions and put himself in the middle of quite difficult situations. He's just great. Louis, if you ever read this, let's go for a beer.

Alex Robert Ross would also like to have a beer with Louis Theroux. If you are Louis Theroux, follow him on Twitter.