Today, alt-pop artist CLAY (she/they) has released her highly-anticipated EP Waiting for God in the Garden. The 6-track collection is a purge of emotions that kick-starts an inevitable period of healing, reminding listeners that their reparative journey is non-linear. Instead, as we grow we experience life in a spiral, facing similar situations more than once but experiencing them from a different perspective. 

Alongside the release, CLAY also shares a new music video for “Same Wall (Intro)” where she brings the EP’s cover art to life. An interpretation of Italian painter Botticelli’s Primavera, the artwork depicts the daughters of Zeus — otherwise known as The Three Graces — who represent beauty, grace, fertility, and rebirth, pillars examined throughout Waiting for God in the Garden. The project explores the intersection of sacred and secular as CLAY seeks for what connects us as human beings, finding the transformative power of self-love along the way.

STREAM WAITING FOR GOD IN THE GARDEN HERE

“I have always had a deep reverence for nature and worship at the altar of Mother Earth in all her immense glory. My fascination and natural tendency to use imagery and metaphors involving her many forms continues throughout this body of work,” shares CLAY. “I wrote Waiting for God in the Garden about letting go and releasing control in order to connect back to self. At the beginning of the EP, I’m feeling nothing, but by the end of these 6 songs I’m left with a cathartic relief. It’s important to remind yourself that you may feel similar emotions throughout your life, but you’re not the same person you were when you felt them originally. Healing isn’t a circle, when you’ve reached a point of familiarity, you've reached the next phase because truthfully you've never actually been in the same place in your life twice.“

On “Same Wall (Intro)” she shares, “I wrote this about feeling stuck, feeling foolish, feeling caged in. This is the beginning of the journey to the final song ‘Waiting for God in the Garden’ where ultimately I learn that the only thing holding me back is myself. My only limitations are the confines of my own mind. comparison, self-judgment, and self-doubt. We journey through this EP only to discover that ‘god’ has always been within.”

WATCH “SAME WALL (INTRO)” MUSIC VIDEO HERE

Waiting for God in the Garden also features the cathartic single “Fade Away” where CLAY puts nature on a pedestal, letting time erase the memories of a previous relationship and alleviating the emotional stress that comes with the process. An ode to her former partner, “Think of You” reminds listeners that love shared between two people should not be deemed wasted just because the relationship has come to an end. Rather, as we begin the process of letting go, we should cherish the experiences shared with our loved ones. Its music video takes inspiration from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, uplifting the refreshing breakup anthem through the innocence of queer romance. On the EP’s introspective title track, CLAY comes to terms with the importance of looking inward and loving yourself fully while the vulnerable “How To Cry” speaks to accepting that you need to put the work into healing yourself, watering your own garden however you need. To date, songs from the project have garnered more than one million streams, earned media support from the likes of Rolling Stone, GLAAD, Spindle Magazine, and Glasse Factory, and landed on Spotify’s New Music Friday, Chill Pop, Fresh Finds R&B, Lowkey, and Good Vibes playlists.

CLAY kicked off the Waiting for God in the Garden tour earlier this month, marking her first full headlining run across the U.S. with performances in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, New York, Nashville, and Denver and will wrap in San Francisco on June 1st. Join her this spring for an unforgettable experience where music transcends boundaries and CLAY’s fantasy world comes to life. Tickets are on sale now, for more details visit http://iamclayofficial.com.

Waiting for God in the Garden Track List:

1. Same Wall (Intro)

2. Fade Away

3. Think of You

4. Waiting for God in the Garden

5. How to Cry

6. White Walls

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2024 Tour Dates

5/25 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge 

5/26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court

5/28 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s

5/29 - Portland, OR - Mission

6/1 - San Francisco, CA  - The Independent