Name: Clutter
Members: Hilda Ander (vocals, guitar, bass), Emma French (vocals, guitar, bass), Ove Jerndal (guitar, keys), Ville Scott (drums, keys)
Interviewee: Hilda Ander
Nationality: Swedish
Current release: Clutter's new 7'' “C.L.U.T.T.E.R. / Superstar” is slated for release via PNKSLM on January 20th 2026.  
Recommendations for Stockholm, Sweden: For music and clubbing, definitely Spice 99. A newer club which as really become a meeting point for all cool indie music in Stockholm. For a more touristy vibe, Moderna Museet is a lovely museum of modern art, and Rosendals Trädgårdar is a lovely park to walk around if you want to see more nature.
Topic I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: I’m watching Severance right now and it’s very, very good, and I’m really late to it but it’s so exciting. Also enjoying the latest season of Smiling Friends a lot.

If you enjoyed this Clutter interview and would like to stay up to date with the band and their music, visit them on Instagram, and bandcamp.



When it comes to experiencing the sensation of “energy” as as a listener, which albums, performances, and artists come to mind?

Ville says early Mars Volta performances.

The word energy also makes us think of dance music, so albums like I love my computer by Ninajirachi, which Hilda and Emma have enjoyed recently, is also a very energetic album that comes to mind.



There can be many different kinds of energy in art – soft, harsh, healing, aggressive, uplifting and many more. Which do you tend to feel drawn to most?

I am personally more drawn to softer energies? I think that when art is vulnerable and honest, it’s easier to relate to and moves me more. That doesn't necessarily mean that it sounds soft, more a feeling even if the music is distorted and loud.

I also enjoy fun art, nonsense lyrics and a more playful energy.

In as far as it plays a role for the music you like listening to or making, what role do words and the voice of a vocalist play for the transmission of energy?

I think it’s maybe the easiest energy to pick up? The most straightforward one. So a vocalist and lyricist should be very deliberate with expression and words, if a special energy is something that feels important to the song.

Our song “Geeks” could be a quite happy song if you only read the lyrics, an uplifting feel good one. But the tone it is sung in makes it feel much more desperate and frustrated which is the energy we wanted in that song.

It’s not necessarily happy, it’s too urgent to be easy.

How much of the energy of your own music, would you say, is already part of the composition, how much of it is the result of the recording process?

90 % of the energy in our songs comes from the composition and live performances. We always start off by trying to capture our live sound when recording because that’s where it’s most authentic and raw. But we like to play around with effects as well.

Ove, who produces all of our songs blends effects and the grit of a live performance very well. I think our song “Pretty” is a good example of this.



For your current release, what kind of energy were you looking for?

Our latest release was our single “Superstar,” which together with our upcoming song “C.L.U.T.T.E.R.“ will be released as a 7” vinyl. With those songs we tried to perform a new kind of energy.

Our EP Loves You was more naive and when we released it, we had already sort of outgrown some of the themes the songs bring up - of being a teenager.

With “Superstar” we were looking for a more serious energy? It’s still a playful song, and so is “C.L.U.T.T.E.R.” But the choices we made while writing and recording were more deliberate and the writing to release process was more fast so both those songs really demonstrate life as it is for us right now.

Because of that they feel more mature and very honest, while also staying true to our usual energy as a band.

What role do factors like volume, effects like distortion, amplification, and production in general for in terms of creating the energy you want?

They are very important! Our sound is made up from choices about effects and volume. We wanna be loud and fuzzy, that’s how we take up space.

Our songs aren’t necessarily that hard, or “big”, but with the help of distortion and other guitar pedals you create the sound you want.

In terms of energy, what changes when you're performing live on stage, with an audience present, compared to the recording stage?

Everything! While recording, even though we’re far from perfectionists, we can play our instruments sitting down and in a warm room.

Playing live everything is crucial and it almost feels kind of “life and death”. The energy live is important and you give it your all, it’s never calm, it’s scary and fun and amazing.

To experience Clutter you have to see us live, that’s how we want to be seen.

How does the presence of the audience and your interaction with it change the energy of the music and how would you describe the creative interaction with listeners during a gig?

When you have an active audience you get more energy. If we see people enjoying what we do, we won't doubt ourselves and we’ll probably play a bit better.

It’s a weird dynamic when you’re a smaller band, because of course we want the audience's approval, and it’s not always like they are there to see us. So when people do respond well it’s always very fun and it makes you feel more confident to take up space.

But we always do, it’s just more fun that way.

Would you say that you prefer to stay in control to be able to shape the energy or do you surrender to it and allow the music to take over? Who, ultimately has control during a live performance?

I’d say we’re in control. Being a good band means practising and being deliberate of how you want to be perceived, so being in control feels like a must.

Of course the music makes you act in a certain way, move and sing in a certain way, but I never black out during a performance. We chose how we want to perform.