Don’t let Clasp slip under your radar; listen to the new solo project from Amanda X’s Kat Bean

Amanda X‘s Kat Bean quietly released a solo project at the end of June that is anything but quiet. If you search for Clasp online or spend a slightly embarrassing amount of time scouring social media for any information about the project, all that you will find is one congratulatory Facebook post by Big Mama’s Recording, the studio where the record was produced, and a Bandcamp page. There the description gives just a glimpse into the story of Clasp, which started “from some basements and some bedrooms across the US during a very something winter, 2015-2016.”

The good news is that this record doesn’t need any of the social media, any of the marketing or fanfare (though it certainly deserves some fanfare). Kat Bean allows Clasp’s self-titled debut to speak for itself, making it all about the music. The eight tracks, including the single “Orange Juice” that was released in February, are written and arranged by Bean who fronts with vocals, guitar, bass, and piano and features Pat Conaboy on drums. Where Amanda X is more punk, Clasp leans towards an indie rock sound that Bean has filled with guitar-driven builds and gritty, heavy vocals. Two standouts are “A Very Large Weed” and “Little God”; listen to the record below and grab a download at Bandcamp.