The fourth full-length from South Jersey/Philadelphia sludge metal outfit Clamfight is out now and today we have a special track by track commentary from the band!
The self0titled offering marks the band’s first release since 2018’s III, and was created during a time of deep uncertainty and physical separation. What began as a few drum tracks recorded just before the pandemic lockdowns evolved into a heavier, more emotionally complex work shaped by isolation, grief, and enduring friendship.
Clamfight have kept the same lineup since their beginnings in 2005: Andy Martin on drums and vocals, guitarists Joel Harris and Sean McKee, and bassist Louis Koble. Their bond spans decades, and that history forms the emotional core of this record. “We met in high school and have been friends ever since,” Martin explains. “We’ve gone from dumb, mischievous kids to reasonably responsible adults with careers and families. We’re lucky to have each other.”
This idea—that life is fragile, but love makes it worth enduring—is at the heart of Clamfight. It isn’t about the pandemic in the superficial sense. As Martin puts it, it’s “not about masks and temperature checks at the grocery store,” but about how relationships carried them through.
The recording process itself, extended by lockdowns, allowed them to collaborate deeply with longtime friend and producer Steve Poponi, broadening the album’s sonic palette and emotional range. The final mix and mastering were handled at The Gradwell House by Poponi and Dave Downham, with album art by Morgan E Russell.
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Across seven tracks, Clamfight brings in guest vocals from Sam Marandola on “Brodgar” and from Stephen Murphy and JJ Koczan on the autobiographical centerpiece “Clamfight.” These collaborations, like the songs themselves, are rooted in long-standing personal connections.
Martin describes Clamfight as “a sort of diary or memoir.” He adds, “The pandemic was obviously dark days, even if in some ways where we are today feels darker, but I found a lot of strength and comfort in the woods and the surf and my relationship with the guys.”
Here’s the full track by track commentary by the band.
“The Oar” is about being good at your job but not great at your life. I’m better with this now, but “The Oar” was written about a time when I probably cared more about being good at my job than who I was off the clock.
I spent 8 seasons excavating at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney, Scotland. Music and archaeology tend to attract interesting weirdos. Since they both can be pretty isolating, dig friendships, like band friendships, can be really intense. “Brodgar” is my love letter to the Ness, to Orkney, and to the people I worked with on that site. The fact that the pandemic ended my physical involvement with that site gave the lyrics a longing quality, and there was no one better to give voice to that melancholy than our buddy Sam from Oldest Sea.
“Dragonhead” is about how quickly life can change. We were in the pub one Friday night waiting on a buddy who was taking the ferry down from Shetland. It was the usual pub carnage: drinking, laughing, flirting, Prince, Little Richard, and Gordon Lightfoot on the jukebox. Then we got word his ferry had been diverted because a helicopter had crashed and every boat in the area was being sent to look for survivors. I’ll never forget how that felt, and the lyrics are about how quickly life can be taken from you and how important it is to value the people you love. FRH-This one is for Father Rory Harris.
“Drinking Tooth” is about new love and how intoxicating it is, and how hot that fire burns. I’m lucky enough to have just married the girl this song is about but not everyone gets that chance.
“Clamfight” is our band autobiography. Initially I struggled with the lyrics for this song because it is such a beast, but after a night fishing with Sean where we spent a lot of time talking about much it hurts to watch your parents get old, I started thinking about how long the four of us have been friends. We met in high school and have been friends ever since; we’ve gone from dumb, mischievous kids to reasonably responsible adults with careers and families. We’re lucky to have each other, and our friendship definitely make the rough parts about being 45 easier. We’re also lucky to have JJ Koczan of The Obelisk and Steve Murphy from Kings Destroy, two long-term and very talented friends on this track.
I was driving to work the week of our first show “post” pandemic and listening to “The Eagle” off our second record, “I Versus the Glacier.” “The Eagle” is a song about the worst grief I’ve ever felt, and as I was listening, trying to relearn the lyrics, I broke down. Hard. That moment inspired “Redtail.” It’s a song about how grief never really goes away, and that hurts, but there’s something beautiful about the way your love for someone can endure long after they’re gone. The heartbeat at the end of the song is Joel’s son in utero and from the second Joel played it for us, just beaming, we knew that was how we were going to end this record. For all the sadness on this record, life and love go on.
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Clamfight self-released the album digitally and on CD. Live dates include a release show on May 31 at Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia, with more shows in Brooklyn and a benefit for Steve Poponi to follow. The record stream is available now via The Sleeping Shaman.
