Cut Worms, the project of Brooklyn-based songwriter Max Clarke, is heading to Australia for the first time this July. He’s bringing his fourth record Transmitter, produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy at the legendary Loft studio, to 11 intimate venues along the east coast, with John Andrews joining as support.
Hi Max, congratulations on Transmitter! It’s a gorgeous listen. Transmitter was recorded at Wilco’s Loft with Jeff Tweedy producing – that’s a pretty significant pairing, and once that makes complete sense upon listening to the record. How did that collaboration come about?
I was on tour with Wilco, and Jeff offered to let me record at the Loft studio, which was exciting. Shortly after the tour, I reached out to take him up on it and asked offhand if he would be interested in being involved with the recording. To my surprise and delight, he wanted to produce the record, and so it ended up working out really smoothly from there.
After producing your self-titled 2023 record, how did it feel handing the producer role over to someone else?
It felt good to let go of the reins a little bit. I like self-producing, but it’s more work, and there’s a lot to keep track of while trying not to lose perspective.
Catch up on all the latest features and interviews here.
You’ve said Jeff instinctively understood the narrator and the story in each song without you needing to spell it out. Were there any times this instinct took him somewhere you wouldn’t have gone yourself?
Yeah, I would say most times the direction was somewhere I wouldn’t have gone personally – at least to some degree. Jeff knew the general idea I was going for, so the things he brought to the table fit naturally, while still being exciting and, I think, kind of pushing the limits of what the song could be.
Your earlier records have been characterised by your own guitar style and arrangements. On Transmitter, Tweedy’s guitar and bass lines play a bigger role. How did you find the balance between your vision and his contributions?
I kind of felt that no matter what, the songs were such that they wouldn’t stray too far from my vision of the thing, so I wanted to let him do whatever he wanted. That being said, there were, of course, things that worked better than others, and I would sort of guide things along the way. And, if I had a specific part in mind, which I sometimes did, I would just play it.
Do you have a core set of instruments you bring into every Cut Worms session, or does the gear change depending on what the songs are asking for?
Normally, I would at least bring a guitar or two, but this time, with so many instruments available at the Loft, and all of them much better quality than my own, I didn’t have to bring anything, which was nice.
The Loft is described as a warm, cluttered space full of guitars, amplifiers, and books. What was the actual recording process like, day to day? Were they structured sessions or more exploratory?
That’s a pretty accurate description of the space. It kind of just feels like a really big living room with just about any instrument you could want. The sessions were pretty relaxed but focused, I would say… We finished a song per day, working from about 11AM to 7PM or so each day. Things generally fell together pretty quickly; it didn’t feel like we had to force anything too much. I will occasionally have moments during any recording session when everything suddenly feels like a nightmare or a bad trip, and that the song is no good and I’m a fraud and everything is wrong. This, I’ve learned, sort of comes with the territory, and you just have to sort of move through it.
View this post on Instagram
How did the songs on Transmitter transform from their initial ideas or demos to their final form? What drove the changes along the way?
I made some rough demos of the songs, mainly for the purpose of sending to Jeff ahead of time so he could begin thinking about ideas for them. It’s always a bit of a risk making demos because it can sometimes happen that the best performance of the song shows up in a demo, and then it’s impossible to recreate or get the cat back into the bag. So you almost have to make them intentionally bad. Of course, sometimes that also yields the best results.
What guitars and amps ended up on the record?
I wish I could tell you in more detail, but I honestly don’t know the names of a lot of them. I knew I wanted Rickenbacker on the album, and Jeff had like 15 of them, so there are a few. I believe they were 360s from the 1960s or 70s. I think there was an old Martin acoustic that I was mostly playing. There’s also a fair amount of Fender Strat on there, which I’ve rarely used in the past but I’m kind of coming around to. As for the amps, I don’t know. Old, worn-in, good ones.
Did working in someone else’s space change the way you approached recording?
I think being in someone else’s space, I’m usually trying to be respectful of that and not take for granted what’s being offered to me. So that in itself sort of brings with it a certain amount of focus and intention. I’m certainly more careful when handling guitars and things like that (especially some of these, which I was afraid to ask how much they cost). Whereas if I’m at home recording, I’ll have 3 guitars leaned against a wall, falling on each other and cords and things going everywhere, and it can get chaotic and careless.
I will occasionally have moments during any recording session when everything suddenly feels like a nightmare or a bad trip, and that the song is no good and I’m a fraud and everything is wrong. This, I’ve learned, sort of comes with the territory, and you just have to sort of move through it.
Your sound has always drawn on a vintage palette, but Transmitter sounds richer and more saturated than your previous records. Was that a deliberate production direction?
Well, thanks for saying so. I feel like I’ve been running from the ‘vintage, retro’ tags for years… I never really thought of my stuff as sounding intentionally old, but I guess since all my favourite music is old (but never sounded old to me), I tend to gravitate towards certain aesthetic qualities or sounds, and so maybe it comes out that way. Which is fine. I used to get kind of offended when people would harp on about how “throwback” it all was, because to me, that translated to “old news,” or not relevant to modern times. I think that’s probably not what was meant. Maybe it was. Who cares. Anyways, time doesn’t actually exist, they say – there’s only ever right now. I think the production on this record feels like now to me.
The album deals with people being reduced to data points. Is that something you arrived at as a theme once the songs were written, or did you go in with that idea in mind?
I didn’t go in with it in mind, per se. It’s a reality of life at this point, so it was kind of just already there. We’re all being mined for every last drop of our precious attentions. It takes a toll on everyone, I think. Nobody wants to feel like their intrinsic value as a human is being cyphoned off and used against them by big corporations to make absurd profits, for who knows what real reason. But that is what’s happening. The record isn’t specifically about that, but it’s in there somewhere. I’d say that’s more the backdrop in front of which the record is taking place.
Cut Worms debut Australian tour dates
With special guest John Andrews
Wednesday, 1st July: Mapleton Pub, Mapleton QLD *All Ages
Thursday, 2nd July: The Citadel, Murwillumbah, NSW *All Ages
Friday, 3rd July: The Eltham, Eltham NSW *All Ages
Saturday, 4th July: Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane, QLD
Sunday, 5th July: Elm House, Mt Glorious, QLD *All Ages
Tuesday, 7th July: The Landsdowne, Sydney NSW
Wednesday, 8th July: Franks Wild Years, Thirroul NSW
Thursday, 9th July: Gang Gang Cafe, Canberra ACT
Friday, 10th July: Old Stone Hall, Beechworth, VIC
Saturday, 11th July: Howler, Melbourne VIC
Sunday, 12th July: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine VIC
View this post on Instagram
Tickets on sale via Jet Black Cat Music.
