Claud

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Claud is associated warm and hooky, candidly personal indie pop. Following the 2018 release of their duo project, Toast’s, self-titled EP, Claud branched out on their own, sharpening production and revealing a more vulnerable lyrical side with beat-forward songs like “Never Meant to Call” and “If I Were You.” Singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers took note and made Claud’s full-length debut, 2021′s Super Monster, the inaugural release on her Saddest Factory label. The loss-informed Supermodels followed on the imprint in 2023 with a similar mix of intimate and boisterous pop.
Born and raised outside Chicago in Highland Park, Claud Mintz spent much of middle and high school as an introvert, focusing on guitar playing and voice practice. These efforts paid off once they arrived at Syracuse University in September 2017. Within months, they met Josh Mehling, who would become the other half of Toast. Delving head-long into music, they recorded their self-titled EP in their dormitory. With its playful dream pop sound and charming, candid lyrics, Toast (Terrible Records) helped secure the duo various opening slots, performing around the U.S. and building a dedicated fan base, especially in the LGBTQ+ community.
Mintz then decided to leave Syracuse and pursue their burgeoning career, going solo and performing as Claud. Flourishing in the queer scene in New York City, they continued to perform live and record. Upbeat “Never Meant to Call” arrived in 2018 and was soon followed by the equally wistful “Easy” and “If I Were You” in 2019. Building their audience while touring with the likes of the Neighbourhood, Bleachers, Girlpool, and Hatchie, they signed with Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory in 2020. The first release for the Dead Oceans imprint was Claud’s song “Gold,” issued in October of that year. That same month, Claud was featured on the track “You & Me” from the debut EP of Quarter-Life Crisis, a project of producer Ryan Hemsworth. Just a few months later, in February 2021, Saddest Factory issued Claud’s debut album, Super Monster. Recorded at New York’s famed Electric Lady Studios with Mehling co-producing, its guests included, among others, Claire Cottrill (aka Clairo), Nick Hakim, and Jake Portrait (Unknown Mortal Orchestra).
Claud went to work on their second full-length after a series of personal losses and departures surrounding the release cycle of the debut. Written at home on a vintage acoustic guitar and dilapidated piano, neither of which would stay in tune, the songs were later recorded with a team of contributors that included Semisonic’s Dan Wilson. In the meantime, the year 2022 included the release of a stand-alone single “Go Home!,” a slot at Bonnaroo, and tour dates with Bridgers. Vulnerable single “Every Fucking Time” appeared on Saddest Factory in May 2023, two months in advance of the completed Supermodels. The LP was accompanied by tours in support of boygenius and Le Tigre, as well as a headlining tour of the U.S. and U.K. later in the year. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Marcy Donelson