LISTEN: Lucy Clearwater’s “There Goes The View” Is Poetic Folk With Psychedelic Undertones

Lucy Clearwater is a Los Angeles–based folk/Americana singer-songwriter who writes songs the way some people keep journals. Honestly, carefully, and with a deep respect for feeling. With a background in classical violin and a sound rooted in acoustic instruments and human-scale storytelling, her music carries emotional clarity, wit, and the warmth of California folk traditions.

A 2024 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition winner, Clearwater has spent the last several years on the road, touring across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Europe. She’s often seen sharing stages with her friends and fellow artists, including John Craigie, Victoria Canal (as both a support act and a band member), Ye Vagabonds, Joe Pug, Martin Luke Brown, Luca Fogale, Ocie Elliott, and others.

Her debut album, People ≠ Possessions, was released on May 14, produced by Grammy winner Tyler Chester and recorded mostly live-to-tape at Bell Choir Studios in Los Angeles. 

The highlight of Clearwater’s anticipated debut is a psychedelic yet earthly look into the artist’s refreshing approach to contemporary folk. “There Goes The View” features a sparse, twinkling arrangement that acts as the perfect vehicle for the artist’s thought-provoking writing and lush, otherworldly harmonies. It is in those vocal layers that Clearwater stands out from her peers, each track carrying the weight of a different emotion and combining to deliver an empathetic performance that is simply spellbinding. “There Goes The View” details the harrowing truth of the natural world’s decline, expressing a reality as delicate as its glistening acoustics. People ≠ Possessions is available everywhere now, and “There Goes The View” is just a slice of the magic that makes this debut a must-hear.