Clay Hips is the project of Kenji Kitahama and Andrew Leavitt, a pair of American expats who, after disbanding their much-loved Bay Area indie pop band the Fairways, settled in Germany and Ireland, respectively. A long-simmering, long-distance collaboration eventually bore fruit in the late 2000s, beginning with "Failure," a breezy and deeply melodic cut which first appeared on Matinee Records' The Matinee Hit Parade compilation in 2007. Over the next half-decade, Kitahama and Leavitt added two more
Clay Hips tracks to Matinee compilations while slowly working out new material during their annual visits together. With the backing of Spanish indie Annika Records, they make their first long-form statement with their self-titled debut album. Included among these ten tracks are re-recorded versions of all three of their existing singles: "Failure," "Someone Who Wanders," and "Disappointed," the latter of which is a twinkling synth-led number that features guest vocals from
Trembling Blue Stars' Beth Arzy. Elsewhere are pastoral country-inspired numbers like "The Mayfair Hotel" and stately, orchestrated acoustic pop ballads like "Still Dreaming" and "The Bridge (A Song for Augsburg)." As amiable and gentle as
Clay Hips' delivery is, their songs are deceptively sharp and neatly arranged, as on the lovely guitar and mandolin standout "Empty Set." Overall, they manage to meld folk tones and instrumentation with a clever indie pop acumen to create a winning debut. ~ Timothy Monger