Clyde Crooks by Korynn Washington.
The Opener is The FADER’s mini-interview series with exciting new artists we think you should know.
Clyde Crooks is a creature of Los Angeles. The L.A. born-and-raised songwriter and producer’s music boasts the pristine commerciality of his Hollywood milieu. But like California itself, his surrealist sonics are haunted by a strange, at times dark, magic.
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Crooks’s Lynchian pop floats like a ghost on his new EP Hark, which features standouts like “Maybe Selena,” a smooth bit of rock that is as spiritually tied late aughts indie as is to the melodious flows of Bieber. EP closer “Coldest Day of the Year” has the sumptuous atmosphere of a crooner by The 1975, but is punctuated by Crooks’s sharp-edged lyricism and is threatened by a rising tide of distorted synth.
Hark came out amidst a major moment for Crooks, who opened for The FADER's 2025 GEN F star Nate Sib on his recent North American Reborn Tour. It marked an enlivening spotlight on an artist who has been the author of his vision since 2022, doing everything from writing, producing, and creating his simple yet austere visual world.
Following the release of Hark, The FADER Caught up with Crooks to chat about walking through Los Angeles, queerbaiting allegations, and the perpetual inspiration of Death Grips.
Clyde Crooks by Korynn Washington.
What’s the coolest thing to do in your hometown?
Walk. LA is a walking city if you believe it in your heart to be. I used to work at an abysmal restaurant in k-town. Some nights, I would walk all the way home to east Hollywood through Koreatown on Western. If you know L.A. you know what goes down on Western between Wilshire and Santa Monica at night. L.A.’s inexplicable beauty lives in an interstitial world that is best observed on foot.
Tell us about the first album you bought and why.
D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. No idea why I grabbed it. Still an all time fav to this day.
What was the last movie you watched, and give a short review.
The second Hunger Games. Fucking timeless fucking classic. I love that shit a lot.
When you’re not making music, how do you spend your free time?
Meditating, journaling, exercising, watching movies. Making weird little videos and shit. Reading wikipedia. Napping. Going to parties for six minutes and leaving.
What’s a motto you think everyone should live by?
Man plans, god laughs. Man laughs, god plans.
Explain a lyric of yours that people misunderstand.
I say the F word on some songs. I was on my edgelord shit. I regret it, but I ain’t queer baiting honey, CC swings both ways.
What’s a song you’d want to remix and why?
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to flip “Air on the G String” by Bach for like 10 years. Point counterpoint baby, that shit is the juice fr.
Show us the last meme you saved to your phone?
This isn’t really a meme but I saw this fried ass Fridah Kahlo mural in Philly. I mean truly what the fuck.
What’s the best thing you’ve bought for $100 or less?
Massage gun: $35 bucks. For strictly non sexual purposes (so far).
Tell us about your favorite tattoo OR your favorite accessory.
My rings. Worn everyday for over 4 years. Made by me and my brother, master maker Benji Samuels.
Best advice you’ve gotten?
Doing what feels right to you is okay.
Worst advice you’ve gotten?
Doing what feels right to you is not okay.
What’s the ideal level of fame and why?
A major international peak moment followed by a lifetime of stable, massive, fandom independent of “whatever’s happening now.” Examples: Pearl Jam, Rufus du Sol, Outkast, System of a Down, Motley Crue, Radiohead, etc.
I want to be a lifelong, interdisciplinary artist with the credibility to operate across mediums at a high level without being totally beholden to trends or inevitable changes in tech and how they influence the distribution and digestion of art. The mountain top is a place you go to be seen from miles around, not somewhere you live; there’s no oxygen up there.
Clyde Crooks by Korynn Washington.
Describe your perfect afternoon.
Producing or recording without any specific deadline. Spontaneously seeing people I love. Eating a very good meal somewhere. Learning something. Doing some shameless preening. Having a really, really good idea. Suddenly developing the ability to fly.
What’s something you’re looking forward to?
Going to the Aldi that I see out of the window of the tour bus in Richmond, VA to buy grapes and a gallon of water and some horseshit like that.
Describe the best concert you’ve attended.
Death Grips at the Palladium 2023. Doors at 7:30. The clock strikes 8:30 and they walk out. Zach Hill counts off and it’s just song, song, song, song until Stefan says a quiet “thank you” and they walk off. 100% energy. 100% enthusiasm. Touring with Nate [Sib] has taught me that there are many reasons people go to shows and enjoying the music is just one of them. The Death Grips show was as much about the music as it can get. Love was truly in the air. It was so simple and so transcendent.
What’s the last thing you wrote in your notes app?
To Do: Fader Interview answers.
Clyde Crooks by Korynn Washington.
