Nothing Dazzled and its eponymous track were inspired in part by a passage from American author Eve Babitz’s memoir, Eve’s Hollywood (1974), in which she laments a “stock summer during which nothing dazzled.” Clara—who doesn’t journal—treats her debut LP like abstract diary entries, culminating in an early memoir of her own.
Recurring motifs are pulled from prolonged observation of changing seasons, surreal dreams, friendships divided by plexiglass screens, and sudden but subtle signs of growth. The extreme seasonal variations of Clara’s home base of Montreal are refracted throughout the record via contrasting arrangements and styles, swinging between icy synth pads and warm guitar tones adorned with the sound of crickets.
Featuring collaborations by Mitch Davis (TOPS, Elle Barbara), Michael Kalman (Marci), Chris Edmondson (Jonah Yano, Patrick Holland, Hildegard), and Markus Stahl (goldenstar), the record blends dream pop, indie rock, and folk.