New York City-based songwriter Clara Joy today releases her stunning debut album What We Have Now, out now via Shimmy-Disc. Marking the arrival of a singular voice in contemporary folk and slowcore, the LP was co-produced with underground music legend Kramer and recorded over several years in Clara’s New York home, with final mixing and mastering completed in December 2024 at Kramer’s North Carolina studio.
The newly released single “You Just Liked My Item” exemplifies Clara’s lyrical gift for extracting poetic truth from mundane modern moments. The song—a haunting slowcore ballad tinged with emotional urgency—is paired with a video by Su Koko, which adds visual depth to the track’s fragile exploration of longing, disconnection, and consumerist absurdity.
“The phrase ‘liked my item’ is taken from online shopping,” Clara explains. “The song is about desperation and questioning reality under a society based around consumption.”
What We Have Now is more than a collection of songs—it is a love letter to New York, a tender excavation of heartbreak, nostalgia, and the bittersweet passage from youth to adulthood. Clara’s writing captures the dissonance of self-discovery in a world that feels increasingly alien. With aching honesty and a sense of quiet strength, her voice navigates a deeply human terrain.
“This is a record about realizing that childhood is a dream—and that now, we must build a new reality from memory’s broken mirror shards,” Clara shares.
ALBUM TRACKLIST – WHAT WE HAVE NOW
Side A
- Breakdown
- Dying Witch
- Don’t Wanna Go Home
- You Just Liked My Item
- Is It Even Gonna Snow
Side B
6. Find Things Beautiful
7. Dusk In The City
8. Teenager
9. Living In A World Like This
10. Despite The Satellites (Digital Only)
Featured Musicians:
Clara Joy – vocals, guitars, samples
Bonner Kramer – bass, piano, mellotron, samples
Produced by Clara Joy & Kramer
Mixed & Mastered by Kramer
Words & Music by Clara Joy
ABOUT CLARA JOY:
Clara Joy is a songwriter and performer from New York City, known for organizing community-driven concerts and making deeply personal music from her home studio. She is the granddaughter of Fluxus pioneers Alison Knowles and Dick Higgins, and her work reflects the experimental spirit of her lineage, infusing vulnerability with poetic clarity. Clara is also the subject of the 2021 documentary Part of Something by Sophia Johnson.
“Clara Joy is what we’ve all been waiting for since the passing of Daniel Johnston,” says Kramer. “A performer who sees the world clearly and responds with love, optimism, and art that helps us survive the maelstrom. Her artistry is miraculous.”
CONNECT WITH CLARA JOY:
Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
LABEL LINKS (Shimmy-Disc):
Website | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp
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