Claudine: “We try not to take ourselves too seriously!”

Bristol’s Claudine are making their introduction with a healthy dose of fuzz, groove and humour.

The five-piece are set to release their debut EP, Live In The Garage, on November 13, capturing the band’s hazy “soft-psych folk-pop” sound in the live setting that has helped them build a growing following across Bristol since launching earlier this year.

With fuzzy guitars, warm synth, driving saxophone and gentle harmonies colliding into one deliberately blurred wall of sound, Claudine have already caught the attention of BBC Introducing in the West, with ‘Playlist’ named the show’s Weekly Earworm in September. They’ve also earned praise from Bristol scene figure Big Jeff, who described their music as “impressive soft psych, gentle harmonies and slightly fuzzy tones.”

Recorded in session at Joe’s Garage Studios and mixed by Nathan Long, Live In The Garage is intended as a snapshot of Claudine as they sound in the room — before the band move on to their debut album, already in production for summer 2027.

Ahead of the EP release and their Bristol launch show at Old England on December 4, we caught up with the band to talk about finding their sound, Bristol’s music scene, BBC Introducing and why their supposedly serious approach might not be quite as serious as Ryan would have us believe.

You’ve described Claudine as a “soft-psych folk-pop” band, with fuzzy guitar, warm synth and driving saxophone at the centre of the sound. How did you arrive at that combination, and what does each element bring to the band?

Ryan McMurtry: “We adopted ‘soft-psych’ from Big Jeff (Bristol music legend Jeffrey Johns), who coined the term after our launch show. It felt right to us!

"It took a while to arrive at our sound. We launched in January 2026, but we began working on it in mid-2024. A lot of late nights sitting together, plundering through synth sounds and pedal settings. We like the idea of the sounds (guitar/synth/sax/bass) being hard to pick apart in a mix, so we sort of aim for that.”

Sophie Jones: "We moved from something folkier by exploring more electronic elements. Personally, I've enjoyed using a repeat pedal with my sax for the first time - I feel spectacularly cool - except when I play a bum note and it reverberates for eons. I think the sound fits some of the concepts we explore in the album we’re recording now - how humans and technology are inescapably intertwined and how unsettling that can be.”

“Playlist” was recently picked as BBC Introducing in the West’s ‘Weekly Earworm’. What was it like hearing the track get that kind of recognition, and has the reaction changed how you think about the song?

Ryan: “At risk of sounding like I have no artistic integrity whatsoever, it has changed my thinking! Mainly around how we will promote the EP. Recognition obviously isn’t the most important thing for artists, but it is nice when it happens.”

Sophie: "I don't think any of us thought Playlist would be picked up and played on the radio out of the three on the EP, but actually hearing it in context, I think it's a really good example of what we're going for with Claudine - kind of lazy electro, moving into swashy ambience, with some faintly tongue-in-cheek lyrics about blocking out the drudgery of meaningless tasks with an algorithmically curated playlist. Seems quite apt in hindsight.”

You launched Claudine in Bristol in January and have spent the year building a following through live shows. What is it about Bristol’s music scene that has helped shape the band?

Ryan: “The Bristol live scene is great for upcoming bands and new projects. There is so much happening, lots of venues and promoters who are open to trying new things and audiences who will take a chance on music they don’t know.”

Sophie: "I agree. It was amazing because from the very first gig at the Gallimaufry, people just seemed to get what we were about. Bristol's one of the best scenes for art and music, but it's not a cheap city to live in, so nearly everyone I know has to work a day (or night) job in order to do what it is they actually want to do. So I think the ideas in the music are resonating. I feel like from that first gig - from the beautiful angels at Eve Appleton Band giving us a slot as part of their weekly residency, to when Big Jeff turned up and said some really nice things about us - we're so grateful."

Your debut EP, Live In The Garage, was recorded as an in-session performance at Joe’s Garage Studios. Why was capturing the songs in that setting important to you, and what do you think the live approach brings out in Claudine’s music?

Ryan: “We have been working on a studio album. But we wanted our first release to capture our ‘live’ sound. That’s what people have connected with so far, so it felt like the right way to introduce ourselves. It’s also what we have done best in the past. We have a lot of chemistry already as a group because we’ve played in other projects together over the years.”

Sophie: “Yeah absolutely. Aside from it being a lovely bonding experience (the post-session pints are the sweetest of all), the ‘session’ format can give people a taste of what to expect before they take a punt on us and come to a gig. We always wanted this to be a live band, so getting bums off sofas and on seats (or feet in shoes and on... dancefloors?) is the ultimate goal.”

With the EP arriving in November, a Bristol launch show in December and your debut album already in production for summer 2027, what can listeners expect from the next chapter of Claudine?

Ryan: “From Claudine, expect slightly lo-fi, fuzzy tones, and instruments that blend into a little wall of soft psych. And a bit of humour in the lyrics. Despite some of the wanky stuff I’ve said throughout this, we try not to take ourselves too seriously!”

Sophie: "I don't know about that. Ryan is incredibly serious all the time, like a middle management boss with unreasonable targets. Our social content is extremely serious and not at all a piss take. You can expect much more professionalism and seriousness in the future. And many more earworms."

Head down to their Bristol Gig HERE