The Clientele

The Clientele formed as a guitar pop ensemble that swiftly cultivated a singular aesthetic—hazy and autumnal in tone, hook-driven yet steeped in sadness, delivered via yearning vocals, chiming arpeggiated guitars, and a rhythm section of unforced elasticity—then refined the approach across an extended, productive span. Their earliest releases, among them Suburban Light from 2000, displayed clear lineage to the transcendently somber chime of Galaxie 500 and Felt, yet the band supplied enough of its own tenderly lush melodies to sidestep any impression of tribute. As their development continued, additional components integrated fluidly into the established framework: strings appeared on Strange Geometry in 2005, haunted folk surfaced on Bonfires on the Heath in 2009, and world music elements entered Music for the Age of Miracles in 2017. By the point of I Am Not There Anymore in 2023, jazz and avant-garde electronics had entered the picture while the original melancholy charm and melodic grace remained intact.

Based in London, the group assembled in mid-1997 with Alasdair MacLean on guitar and vocals, Innes Phillips also on guitar and vocals, James Hornsey on bass, and Howard handling drums. Mark Keen assumed the drum chair late in 1999 after Howard turned to academic commitments; Phillips exited early to launch the Relict, whose shifting roster at times drew from Clientele personnel. Following an appearance on the Fierce Panda label’s Cry Me a Liver compilation, the Clientele generated a rapid sequence of singles, compilation tracks, and EPs. March’s 2000 EP A Fading Summer proved especially significant, gathering several scarce singles together with new material. Pointy then issued the full-length Suburban Light later that year, likewise a collection of previously recorded tracks.

Merge entered the picture in early 2001 and brought Suburban Light to American listeners months afterward. The Lost Weekend EP surfaced on Acuarela in 2002, followed a year later by the band’s first proper studio album and Merge debut, The Violet Hour. Strange Geometry appeared in 2005, after which keyboardist/violinist/percussionist Mel Draisey joined in 2006. God Save the Clientele, produced by Mark Nevers of labelmates Lambchop, arrived in spring 2007. Merge released Bonfires on the Heath in late 2009; the Minotaur EP of mid-2010 drew from sessions for that album.

Although the Clientele had declared an end to touring after the worldwide promotion of Bonfires on the Heath, they returned to the United States for further live dates after the EP’s release. Shortly thereafter the members announced an indefinite hiatus. MacLean started Amor de Dias while the others pursued separate paths until re-forming—without Draisey—for a one-off performance at Denmark’s Pop Revo Festival in 2013. Recording activity stayed minimal until the band announced a U.S. tour in early 2014 tied to Merge’s 25th anniversary and a deluxe Suburban Light reissue. The career retrospective Alone & Unreal: The Best of the Clientele, issued in September 2015, prompted another live appearance; an interview around the same time found MacLean revealing that one side of a new album had been completed. Working with longtime associate Anthony Harmer, MacLean supplied words and music while Harmer handled arrangements; Hornsey and Keen soon participated, leading to the fifth album and first in seven years. Music for the Age of Miracles, credited to the core trio plus Harmer on guitars, vocals, keyboards, saz, and santoor, included a guest turn by harpist Mary Lattimore and appeared on Merge and Tapete in September 2017.

The core trio of MacLean, Hornsey, and Keen began a subsequent album in 2019, proceeding deliberately as they recorded on computer for the first time. This permitted greater experimentation with samples and loops, guiding the sound toward fresh directions as structures and arrangements took shape before studio completion. Inspiration arrived from electric Miles Davis albums, narration by Jessica Griffin of Would-Be-Goods was added, and an increasingly avant-garde, experimental stance introduced new dimensions to the characteristically autumnal palette. The lyrics gained additional weight from the death of MacLean’s mother. Merge issued I Am Not There Anymore in mid-2023.