On the Rise
My Ugly Clementine

Their pedigrees range from the classical training of guitarists Mira Lu Kovacs and Nastasja Ronck, to bassist Sophie Lindinger’s DIY-pop success in duo Leyyer. But sometimes, loosening the reins allows for a lightheartedness to enter the chat. For Kovacs, the need for it was extreme: “I felt like if I made a mistake, I will die.” An effect of her traditional musical training, while her focus on the thirty-five chord world she grew up in took some forgetting, now she’s empowered by light-footed, raucous hooks that rattle with charm.

My Ugly Clementine's new record The Good Life – released next month – is the first full body of work by the trio. 2020 debut Vitamin C was was predominantly an outlet for Lindinger, who recruited the rest of the band from the local music scene – which originally included trans hip-hop artist Kerosin95 on drums.

"We've known each other now for maybe eight years, and we've always admired each other from a distance," says Kovacs. "We've kept talking about like, 'Hey, should we not finally make something together, and should that something maybe not stress us out like everything else we do in life...maybe could we do something that doesn't feed our perfectionism...[we can] make mistakes on stage, or in a rehearsal space’ – we just wanted to not care too much."

In the beginning, shedding their stringent working methods proved difficult. But as they found a groove, locking in with one another, it all came to fruition. “We really focused on playing songs and enjoying it,” remembers Kovacs. “It kept me ecstatic. It was like I found something new that feels like something that I had never experienced before ”

Outside of the rehearsal space, things were moving at a fast pace. Once My Ugly Clementine was announced to the world, their 2019 debut show sold out in 24 hours – without any music released. Since then, it's been a project that's snowballed with multiple bodies on their payroll. It's an ever-expanding "fairytale" as Kovacs puts it.

The trio's individual experiences and successes are integral to My Ugly Clementine. Each has established themselves as prominent figures in the Vienna music scene (Lindinger also has a solo career as does Kovacs, while Ronck is in indie group Sharktank). They’re able to chop and change the lineup with each taking the mantle as vocalist and putting their mark on the sound during songwriting. It's this facet which feeds into their garage-fresh sound – far from novices, but relishing in the empowering naivety of it all. Kovacs likens it to “this childlike playing around and experimenting,” and she now proudly admits, “I love taking the risks.”

Their joint influences range from Haim to Alabama Shakes while independently, there’s a through-line of 90s and 00s icons from Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson for Lindinger and Ronck, and Alanis Morrisette and Tori Amos for the slightly older Kovacs. Channelling these influences, the main premise for My Ugly Clementine was a simple one: “We wanted to be loud.” Kovacs explains it was a reaction to the oft-heard ‘complimenting’ of their light and airy vocals. Wanting to oppose this double-edged praise, “Once we came together in the rehearsal room, and actually rehearsed and played and heard ourselves we understood the gravity and the responsibility of when you carry your instrument, and you actually produce that sound, you can be loud,” she tells me.

Embarking on their journey, and solidifying their match, the trio “came together and tried to understand what makes us us and give that feeling a voice and words.” While Vitamin C has its place in the My Ugly Clementine canon, it’s The Good Life that speaks proper to their motives: “To me, at least the whole album sounds like friendship, especially ‘Circles’.” As the opening track from The Good Life, “Circles” is jaunty, driven, and showcases the My Ugly Clementine experience. It’s the lighter end of anthemic, but most importantly does indeed sound like three people making music for fun – even down to the in-studio laughter that breaks out in its bridge.

In fact, My Ugly Clementine's penchant for songs that carry on their merry, clattering-indie way is abundantly clear. They often stop at whiplash-inducing moments changing face entirely, or they allow a chorus and soaring guitar line to deliver millennial sermons, or even ultimately finding a resolution that neither wants nor cares to be anything more than the bright-eyed result of three earnest creatives.

Another insatiably catchy track is “Feet”. A rousing snapshot of modern life that channels the inanity of those endless days: “Seven days a week nothing on my cally / Seven years since I last watched telly”, its bounding bass line twinned with its irresistible chorus call of "It's nice but I'm bored / I got my feet up" leaves it rattling around your sonic space long after the track has finished.

The joy of My Ugly Clementine doesn't lie solely in their music. The video for the Kovacs-led “Feet Up” features the trio giving their take on almost every popular alternative 00s and 90s music video, including running naked through Vienna in homage to Blink 182’s “What’s My Age Again?”. It all reeks of a relatable and insatiable formula that is as recognisable as bumping into your mates in a dark club, where suddenly everything feels elevated.

“We understood that we have a lot of feelings and experiences that we can relate to amongst the group," Kovacs mentions. "And the friendship part was huge because we all never had friendships like that where you can create together and also feel so safe.”

This also translates into the live arena. Having had their own separate experiences with touring and playing live, Kovacs' experience results in her now relishing in the opportunity that comes from being on stage. She gushes over “the momentum”, where often it’s “doing something physically with your body, and at the same time, someone else is doing something else with their body but is doing it as a reaction to what you're doing…that is intense.”

She happily admits now that she’s “Never felt this close to any bandmates I’ve ever had.” And this would inevitably ring true for the other two-thirds. She acknowledges “Communication is key. And when you have a project, you need to say out loud what you want and what you don't want. And I feel like we're good at that." Suffice it to say, My Ugly Clementine have created a good life for themselves. "We've grown together and this is where we are now, but I think the potential was there from the very beginning.”