Musicians have never particularly cared for categories around their music; Eryka Badu felt like her art was cornered by the term ‘Neo-Soul’. Aphex Twin famously despised the moniker ‘Intelligent Dance Music’ (and rightfully so - that one has a plethora of nasty implications). After all, if the art can be entirely described then why make it in the first place? Despite all this, my pesky little brain could not help but scream ‘DUB FOLK’ when hearing Tara Clerkin Trio’s EP The Turning Ground for the first time. The Bristol band had (unfortunately for my career in music journalism) already received a similar label in Pitchfork’s review of their 2026 album Somewhere Good. But there is a contradiction in those terms that their music truly shines through in. In the track Marble Walls this interplay is on full display. Clerkin murmurs close to your ear ‘Sing for me… I don’t need a reason/ I just need to feel small’ as delayed guitars fade away from the track like the prologue text in a Star Wars movie; the music feels intimate and massive at the same time.
Tara Clerkin Trio via Peter Eason Daniels for The Guardian
Despite the star of the show undeniably being eponymous vocalist Tara, TCT’s music is incredibly production focussed. Both Somewhere Good and The Turning Ground begin with lengthy instrumental numbers and it is all the sweeter when Clerkin’s vocals finally enter the fold. The use of delay and reverbed construction noises call to Bristol’s rich dub scene and Caribbean influence. And yet, the music would probably better soundtrack an evening in with a herbal tea than a bass thumping night out. It’s a mixture that should be antithetical but works all the same. Trip hop is also undeniably in the mix, the first twenty seconds of Lazy Daisy could easily deviate down to the warped and windswept landscape of Massive Attack’s Blue Lines. However, before being pulled under, the sparkling guitar kicks in and signifies that we as listeners are (to quote Blue Lines’ opener) Safe From Harm.
To say TCT may lack the edge of some of their Bristolian predecessors would be true but by no means a criticism. Their music is pretty before it is problematic, but they reflect a beauty that is undeniably a product of their surroundings. Band member Sunny Joe Paradisos muses “It’s getting harder and harder to recognise my town…. Every inch is sold for a pound.” On Slow Island. It’s one of the standout instrumentals on Somewhere Good with a descending piano progression walking in step with ideas of Bristol going down a path its authors do not recognise. The title track of their sophomore EP In Spring is a particularly visual number. Vocal chops are scratched and flitter over a piano loop before Clerkin (always there to save the day) begins her dreamy refrains. As the song builds layers are taken and added at the group’s discretion and in an alternate timeline I feel pretty comfortable saying the track could have landed on an Air record. Despite successes, the band spoke in a Guardian interview about how “it’s really quite rare to come across working-class artists, because there’s basically a rule that you have to do it and not get paid for 10 years”. The group had to cancel their North America tour last year to care for Clerkin’s mother in Liverpool, but have found redemption as they are set to cross the pond come January 2027. The finances of the music industry is a virus by no means contained to Tara Clerkin Trio, or the area of Bristol for that matter. However, while the band look to depict this reality, they do not wish for their art to be depressing; after all, there is always a twinkling guitar 22 seconds into Lazy Daisy…
If you want to catch Tara Clerkin Trio live, they have a few shows in the UK rounding out the end of the year with tour dates visible on Songkick. If you enjoy their music and want to support them, bin off streaming and grab some of their music on BandCamp or from a record store you know and love.