Since the late 1990s, Carrie Clark has been a familiar presence within the Hamilton, Ontario music scene, contributing her bass and vocal talents to myriad albums and live performances by local artists. Most recently, Clark has become a full-fledged member of alt-country outfit Matt Paxton & The Pintos [now simply The Pintos], whose 2023 EP Tornado received international acclaim. However, since 2020 Clark has been creating her own music, and subsequently released her debut EP, Roll Me Up Integrity, two years later. She has now followed it up with Resistor, a six-track collection that highlights her expansive musical range.
Working with Marco Bressette at Hamilton’s Deadquarters Studio, Clark called upon many colleagues to contribute to the sessions, but despite the variety of musical voices, Resistor adheres to Clark’s distinct creative vision.“I feel fortunate to have so many stellar musician friends,” she says. “We have all played together in so many unique situations, so recording is quite a natural and meditative experience. Marco and I have been friends since we were 16, rocking out in our early original bands.”
Resistor lifts off seductively with the atmospheric and semi-spoken “What Is Water,” which contains hints of the Hamilton scene’s patron saint Daniel Lanois. However, the song’s main inspiration, as Carrie explains, came from a Bruce Lee quote, “be water, my friend.” “The choices we make in any given moment define us, regardless of the choices made in the past, much like the fluidity of water. The calm lake after a storm doesn’t reveal a trace of the waves. You have to look at the surrounding land to discover its effects. The water itself can only be what it is at that moment.”
The intensity on Resistor builds from this intriguing introduction. “Better Than Myself” is a brooding, hallucinatory poem that finds Clark’s breathy vocals floating over a jarring, reggae-infused rhythm. It’s followed by “Take It To The Wall,” the hardest rocker of the bunch, on which she asserts her independence with Neil Young-esque bravado. “Thinkin’ On Breaking My Heart” dials things back slightly, channelling the spooky country of the Cowboy Junkies, before “Electromagnetic” raises the temperature yet again with another haunting late-night excursion, powered by Chris Altmann’s mesmerizing pedal steel work. Carrie says of this song, “The lyrics really capture how I feel most days. I absolutely believe we can’t fully and honestly excel at the expense of others, but the terrain is hazardous, my brakes are shot, and I have to course correct all the time.”
Resistor concludes with the plaintive country number “Side Of The Road,” an entirely appropriate send-off that will surely leave listeners wanting to hear more of Carrie Clark’s highly idiosyncratic perspective on Americana. Still, as she says, she’s learned through experience that music can’t be rushed. “Spending so much time musically supporting other songwriters has given me a uniquely organic perspective on recording; songs should be recorded when they are in season.” ‘Tis the season of Carrie Clark.
