Vancouver’s CLONE have just announced the release of their latest EP Knock Out Drops Vol. II on ZeroTrophy Records. CLONE is a lush rock ’n’ roll collage that fuses the sequined swagger of 70’s glam with the DIY gut punch of early punk and polishes it all off with the audacious vocals of contemporary pop.
Familiar yet totally unique, CLONE revitalizes the glory days, reminding us what rock and roll is all about. Giving nods to bands like T-Rex and Sweet, replete with heavy background vocals and simple, effective guitar riffs, CLONE set out to really define who they are with Knock Out Drops Vol. II. Guitarist Kelly Zombor reflects on the process, “Our goal was to capture the raw energy and bombastic spirit of 70’s glam and spin it with our punk meets modern pop vibe.” Adding just enough Glam elements but keeping it somewhat contemporary at the same time,CLONE skates that fine line without sounding too retro. “We really feel like we achieved that” said Zombor, “We also wanted to capture the live feel of our current lineup. To that end, we gave ourselves a tight, 3 day schedule to complete six songs. After 3 days we actually recorded 7.” Collaborating again with producer/engineer Eric Mosher, all instruments were tracked live off the floor at the Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with vocal overdubs were done at the band’s studio in East Vancouver.
Lyrically, CLONE wanted to “flip” the perspective of the glam genre which is generally male dominated (with a few notable exceptions) and have the same themes come from a woman’s point of view. Singer Juniper Watters challenges gender norms in CLONE’s lyrics. “I identify as a bio queen” she says, “I am a huge supporter of drag and drag culture. My character ‘Rocket Science’ is a souped-up version of a woman. An homage to fictional over the top characters like Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit and Peg Bundy. The idea was to hyper feminize the character. Huge hair and big lips and 8 feet tall. To dress like a man’s idea of dressing like a woman. I like to confuse people and make them question gender norms. If people are confused, I’ve done my job. That’s what glam rock is about!” The genre has been historically dominated by men like David Bowie, Marc Bolan, and The New York Dolls who pushed gender norms, making people uncomfortable. Watters says, “I wanted to switch up the usual perspective with the lyrics on this album. Songs like ‘Queen’, ‘Hold Him Down’ and ‘Set The Night On Fire’ are all coming from a strong feminist angle. MY perspective as a powerful woman, unapologetically taking pleasure in sex and control. It’s not easy to be a woman singing Rock n Roll. There’s always going to be people who don’t take you seriously and think you’re just there to be some kind of eye candy. I think you can be eye candy and still be highly interesting, capable and intelligent. Women are often put into categories where we are one but not all of these things. It’s high time we own our power. And thanks to artists like Suzi Quattro and Joan Jett who paved the way, I have this opportunity. This is our spin on Glam Rock in 2023.”
CLONE is a female-fronted collective of musicians from various eclectic backgrounds who bonded over their shared love of 70’s rock, specifically glam rock. Nods to T-Rex, Suzi Quatro, The Runaways, Sweet, New York Dolls, and Iggy and the Stooges inspire their catalog of rock anthems that fuse punk with glitter and power with pop. CLONE was created by guitarist Kelly Zombor and front woman Juniper Watters with the remainder of the band consisting of refreshingly experienced musicians: Lee Forrester (lead guitar), Gil Forrester (bass) and Jack Guppy (drums). They have been a favorite pick on SiriusXM's Rodney Bingenheimer Show and on Internet radio including Dandy’s Stardust Dive. CLONE has been DIY since the beginning - producing their first EP in 2020 along with four music videos which they wrote, directed, designed, photographed and edited thanks to decades of experience as working technicians in the BC film industry. CLONE share a unique ability to connect with their inner alter egos who come out to play on stage. As David Bowie once said, “Freedom is born in the realms of eccentricity” and CLONE illuminates this beautifully.
