Growing up in central Florida, Clover County started writing songs at the age of 13, by way of her father’s 1980s songbooks. Taking “Clover County” as her name to honour all the places she’s called home – Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Birmingham, and now Athens, Georgia – it’s a state of mind that shows that you choose if you’re going to grow or not, no matter where you lay your hat. Clover County’s new single, ‘Ultraviolet’, from her upcoming album, ‘Porch Lights’ (set for release on November 15), is an upbeat track, with magnificent instrumentals, carried by Clover County’s soulful vocals.
‘Ultraviolet’ is a love song about those early days of infatuation. It’s not clear if the feelings are reciprocated, but the protagonist is trying hard to be noticed, without ever saying out loud how she feels; and there’s plenty of feelings. Lines such as “Ink stains inside my mind /I’m a victim of my own design” indicate just how much she wants to say, but can’t get the words to come out. We’ve all been there!
Instrumentally the track is upbeat and lighthearted, with a guitar and drum led sound, augmented by jangly synths. Clover County’s vocals lightly step over the notes, at times with caution, creeping slowly.
The music video gives us a look inside the artist’s mind, she’s blue-lit in a kitchen, pushing against a window, her feelings caught up in her head, unable to let them out. Once they’re expressed, they’re free, and she’ll have opened herself up to criticism or, worst still, rejection. But therein is the quandary. If she never says anything, she’ll never know if the object of her affections feels the same way about her. Argh.
Music has long been a part of Clover’s life, but she has only relatively recently turned to it as a career option, enrolling in 2021 in the University of Georgia’s Music Business course, at the Terry College of Business, alongside Advertising at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. This was immediately followed up by an internship at a local venue, a performance at an open mic a month or two later.
Now Clover County is about to go on tour, with 11 dates across 5 states set to start in early November. You can get tickets from her official website.
‘Ultraviolet’ is out now and is available to stream and download here. Check out the video for ‘Ultraviolet’ below, and find Clover County and her music online on her official website, Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube.
