Slow Dance ’25
15/20 - Beth Jones - Clara
A London-based artist and songwriter working at the intersection of folk and ambient music. Ethereal yet unsparing, her songs centre on dissonance and lyricism- drawing from the ache & drift of Joni Mitchell, Weyes Blood, and Jeff Buckley.
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After a years hiatus Slow Dance celebrates the start of their 10th Anniversary with return of their lauded yearly Compilations, released in full on 13th March, a varied summation of both the year passing and the year to come in new UK underground music and around the world.
It represents the labels 10 years of curation and space within the landscape of Alternative music. Predicting new avenues, and key artists from various scenes and spaces outside the industry. At 1h20mins the compilation works to mirror the playlist culture this generation is tied to. A more subdued and darker affair this time, featuring old and new faces, this collection of sounds from their bedroom or studios marks the political turmoil and global instability we have all faced in 2025, with a look of hope to the future.
I wrote this in September & recorded it whilst I was away on an old Sennheiser mic and holed up in a high-rise room with the constant sound of construction and sometimes the ocean outside. about as far away as I had ever been from the world this is written about.
It is a song about one of my oldest & closest friendships in all its specificities.
It is about being held upright in Spain aged seventeen-
Shepherd’s Bush very late at night and very early in the morning-
Satsumas produced out of empty pockets-
Her refusal to let you have a cigarette without taking it clean out of your mouth.
More generally it is about growing up, bearing witness over time, female friendships waged defensively against an increasing sense of terror and in the face of yourself becoming an increasingly difficult person. You realise that you cannot stave the world off. You can link arms and widen your eyes and laugh about it and rage about it. and that’s about all you can do. and it is all you really want.
Mostly though, it is about what it is like to measure time against a person, to see your ebbs and flows reflected in theirs, to know yourselves as something tidal. We all have our claims upon each other. We rotate on the same axis. I push and you pull.
Very happy to share this song as part of the Slow Dance 25 compilation, it is out on streaming now & will be playing at the George Tavern Friday night for the release show
Written, performed & produced by me
Mastered by Tom Kellett @tomwkellett@slowdancerecords
have some big news on monday & playing a show the night before so come to that & I’ll tell you Monday’s news on Sunday a whole day early
📸 @kittyhandley
On the 30th January I am supporting Louis Gardner at the Theatreship. On the 18th February I am playing a sexmagic night at the Old Blue Last. On the 23rd April I am supporting Pitou at The Waiting Room
More to be announced x x
‘Clara’ live at the George last night for @wearesacredbagel supporting @avicecaro . Next show is a stripped back set tomorrow evening with @annie_walton2 for @sexmagicrecords at mascara bar. Supporting @jimmymeanssmut and @animalsoup__ . Blessed to be playing these shows alongside such wonderful artists & with musicians I adore - come down x
