Clarence James - “Target: Quota Time” (feat. Xaviyer)

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Mac DeMarco, Bartees Strange, Cautious Clay

Clarence James has followed up a his debut record Fucked Me Up with a string of singles that continue exploring a mix of classic R&B and woozy psychedelic soul, influences that are then filtered through his unique, indie rock lens. Eclectic melodies and off-center rhythms twist his music in the same ways a prog-rock musician might experiment, but James finds a way to make angular phrases and jazz-fusion intonations sound remarkably smooth. Weird but with a sense of groove, James is paving his own path and keeps succeeding by making complex sound unexpectedly natural. Clarence James performs Friday night at HouseParty for DRUNKLUCK Records with SPEAK, Angel White, and MAVICA. (Kevin McStravick)

2020 Review: Woozy and wobbly, Clarence James’s take on indie rock/R&B is comfortable and loose, taking bedroom pop material and expanding it a bit with psych-rock and classic soul leans. The emerging Austin artist has five singles to his name since premiering in 2018 with the melancholy sway of “Ronson Princess”, all falling in relatively the same lane of comforting, jangly rock under lo-fi air. Clarence James keeps an understated tone in his vocals too that nicely matches the vibe of his music - while his songs are smooth at heart, there’s raw personality and hints of dissonance twisting James’s music into something fresh heading into the next decade.