Releasing his fifth studio album The Hours: Morning, Joshua Karpeh, better known as Cautious Clay, experiments with different genre elements to create this compelling work of art. There’s a song for everyone, going from an early 2000s pop sound in “Tokyo Lift (5am)” to an acoustic ballad, and ending with an alternative track like “Smoke Break (12pm).”
This is definitely a transition from Cautious Clay’s previous works. Noting the Neo-Soul inspiration in albums like KARPEH and Deadpan Love, The Hours: Morning isn’t afraid to break away from the sound the artist has come to be known for while simultaneously reshaping the overall vibe past albums have projected. He does this in a way that doesn’t alienate old fans. Instead, he welcomes his listeners to indulge in the hypnotic elements strewn around this project.
I sat with Cautious Clay to discuss The Hours: Morning, how his sound has evolved since his first project, and what inspired him to create this album. Read all about it below.
Cover image by Travys Owen
How would you describe the evolution of your sound since the release of your first album, Blood Type?
Oh, that’s a difficult question. My sound has evolved more in ways than I think. The philosophy that I hold when considering the way I move through the world, which is a vague answer, I understand, but my way of moving through the world has always been pretty mindful. I respond to the results of the music. A response to whatever the circumstances are that I’m currently facing. I try not to cloud my judgment or the way I decide to put things out. I try not to overthink, but I also try to prepare at the same time.
There can be a lot of different narratives, or perspectives that people might hold about my first album and how that translates to the second album being this jazzier alternative thing. And then how The Hours is somewhat a return to the sounds of my first EPs and Blood Type – more of a songwriter, pop-y kind of flavor.
In general, I would describe my style as being mindful and curious in my approach to making things. Sonically, there is a lot of variation in my career. You can obviously tell that from albums like KARPEH versus The Hour. Ultimately, what I’m going to do is make stuff that has interesting components to it, whether it’s melodies or chords, or structure. There’s going to be something that’s somewhat unconventional, regardless of whatever decision. It’s going to have components to it that are always purposeful.
There were a variety of genres on The Hour that you experimented with, including indie rock, pop, and some R&B. Which genre was your favorite to work with?
Right now, alternative rock is refreshing. That’s just because I haven’t done something in that genre in a real way until now. When I say alternative rock, I’m describing the song “Smoke Break (12pm).” KARPEH, the album I did before this one, was mostly done live, which was a really cool thing that I got to experiment with and write in.
That was new for me, because I was mostly a bedroom producer, whatever that is called. I did everything in the box at my own place. That experience informed my approach to writing in general, in a way that made songs like “Smoke Break (12pm)” possible. Mostly because we literally recorded that live and did 12 takes, and then this was the take that sounded the best. It’s speaking to a classic way that people might have recorded in the past, but it’s probably certainly not as common today, at least in this sense. That, for me, was the most refreshing side of it. Also songs like “Tokyo Lift (5am),” which has this J-pop feel to it, and it’s a little bit more bouncy. Kind of sounds like the Wii soundtrack from a production standpoint. But it’s fun. It’s a very light, bubbly kind of sound.
Commenting on doing 12 takes when recording that song live. It really did add more emotion to the work. It felt like you put a lot of passion into creating that song, which is, as you said, rare to find an artist who does a live recording of a song. I really appreciated that.
Thank you. That was fun because we could arrange everything, and even just the idea of starting the second verse, where we’re not just playing the drum groove as normal. We do the kick drum. That gives me a moment to breathe, and then I repeat that line. It got to the source and energy of things in a way that felt refreshing. There are no rules for how good music is made. I get a funny reputation as being this super nerdy music guy, but I feel like there’s a lot of spirit in it, too. I try to incorporate, as Quincy Jones said, “leaving room for God.” I’m not a religious person, but I am very spiritual.
For your tour that’s happening at the end of the year, will you have a live band accompanying you?
Definitely. It’ll be good. I’m still trying to figure out what the configuration will be, but I do know that the band is going to be very good.
I read that “Promises (9am)” had 80 versions behind it. What made you decide to release the version on this album?
There were a lot of versions, probably even more than 80. I made that song before I made “Cold War,” which a lot of people know by me. When I first recorded “Promises (9am),” I wasn’t sure about it. It didn’t fit at the time. And then I tried a different set of drums. The main part of the song that has been consistent is the guitar part, but there were a few different drums, a few different tempos, and a few different progressions in the chorus and the bridge. To be honest with you, it was just getting the production right. That was the hardest part.
That song, for whatever reason, has the verse in a different structure from the chorus. It takes you on this journey out of both areas. There are a large number of things to consider with it. From a production standpoint, I wanted it to feel like how I did “Smoke Break (12pm).” I didn’t really know how to achieve that. I tried to do something that felt somewhere in the organic space, but obviously a bit more produced as well.
It was a mind game because I’d had the song for so long, and I hadn’t found a place to put it at the time. This felt like an opportunity to put it out in a place where it made sense in this Hours concept. It wasn’t easy to be like this, is the version I want or not, I was responding to my whole philosophy of the environment and not what felt genuine to what else was on this project. That would not have worked; it obviously would not have worked on KARPEH. It would have been an outlier.
Your album The Hour explores various feelings in the morning. “Tokyo Lift (5am)” feels like you’re awakening in a calming way, and then it transitions to an uplifting moment. Does your morning routine correspond to the emotions encapsulated with each track?
Not exactly. My morning routine changes a lot. I usually, in a very unconventional way, drink coffee in the morning [laughs], and then usually I go through my emails, or do whatever the hell I need to do on my phone for a little bit. When I think about what inspired this album in general, it was less about routine and more about habit.
The last year or so, I was writing a bunch of music for this album, probably 60-plus songs. Throughout that process, I also had these habits that were consistent, but not routine, if that makes sense. It wasn’t every single day I was going to play basketball, but I played at least three times a week, usually varying times based on what was inspiring me that day. Whether or not I was making a bunch of music. I also started painting. I did over 15 different canvases just for fun, which was also really inspiring to me. As a creative person, it’s good to have things outside of the main creative thing that you do to help elevate that main outlet.
Cautious Clay
Website | Instagram | Listen to The Hours: Morning
Check out Cautious Clay’s fall tour dates below:
North America Fall Live Dates
September 30 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
October 2 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
October 4 – Washington, DC – Atlantis
October 7 – Toronto, ON – Axis
October 10 – Chicago, IL – Outset
October 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
October 13 – Denver, CO – Bluebird
October 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
October 17 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
October 18 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood
October 19 – Portland, OR – Roseland
October 21 – San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s
October 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent
UK/EU Winter Live Dates
December 4 – Manchester, UK – Blues Kitchen
December 5 – London, UK – Jazz Cafe
December 9 – Amsterdam, NL – Tolhuistuin (Paradiso Noord)
December 10 – Rotterdam, NL – LantarenVenster
December 11 – Brussels, BE – Botanique – The Rotonde
