Interview: Comfort Club

Interview by Brigid Young

Colin Tracey, professionally known as Comfort Club, is an LA based independent pop artist. As his name suggests, he makes music that’s comfortable: lo-fi infused pop that isn’t nailed down to a specific sound or genre, but music that never strays from that overall gentle, comfortable sonic space. With two single releases within the past month (“idk forever” and “Not Over Falling For You Yet”), Comfort Club is steadily building his audience and career with regular single releases and interacting with fans on social media. Influenced by pop radio growing up, his musical journey truly began at a John Mayer concert.

“When I was 17, I went to a John Mayer concert, and that was transformational for me. I had never experienced music in that way, the guitar solos and everything. That’s what I wanted to do with my life. It was a winding road before I started making music, but I just started playing guitar every day and trying to learn. That show changed my life, and set the course. I started learning how to write, learn how to produce, and all that. I started seriously doing music in 2019, I put out a song called ‘New Ways to Miss You’, and I finally started reaching people and building an audience. I’ve been pursuing it ever since.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

When it comes to learning all the elements of creating music, Comfort Club utilized a lot of available internet resources such as video tutorials. 

“Just like, using Youtube. ‘Self taught’ makes it sound like you figured it all out on your own in a cave. I was self taught, but I had a lot of teachers, it was just the internet. I never want to come across like I figured it all out on my own, I was taught by Youtube.” Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

He also went to college, graduating with a degree in Advertising. While expressing that he doesn’t use his degree now, he shares his motivation behind staying in school.

“I ended up with a degree in Advertising that I don’t use. I was the classic case of jumping around way too much, never clicking with anything. All the while I was learning music by myself, so it really gave me the time and motivation to learn myself. I still stuck through school for whatever reason, I think the thought of not having a degree was really scary to me. I was basically learning music the whole time I was in college.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

Bonding over attending schools in the Midwest (Michigan State for him, University of Illinois for me), I was curious to know if he thought that growing up here in the Midwest had any impact on his sound.

“I don’t think so, because I don’t have a distinct sound. I don’t know what I’m doing, I just make a song. I try to do the guitar thing in every song, I try to have interesting melodies, and I go for the pop structure. I feel like my sound isn’t anything special, but it works on some level! I’m just happy that people like it.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

Deliberating on what genre his music could be qualified as, I suggest that it could be ‘indie pop with a little lo-fi sparkle’.

“I think lo-fi is a good qualifier. When I set out to make a pop song, it just ends up sounding lo-fi because I don’t know how to make true pop. But I like being DIY, I wish there was a genre called DIY pop or something. That’s where I feel like I fit in. That was the bedroom pop thing for a while, but now there are professional bedroom pop producers. Everyone who’s ‘indie’ today is like, signed to a major label.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

Comfort Club does most of his production himself, but has been working frequently with collaborator Atlas In Motion.

“He’s like the sound guy. I build a production, and he goes in and puts better sounds into it. He has good drum sounds and synth patches. I use Logic, and use Ableton for my live sets.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

Sessions for Comfort Club usually involve waiting for an idea, and building off of it. Beginning with the chorus usually, he builds the rest of the song.

“Most of the time it comes to me with a rhythm component. I usually get that first, then start programming it into Logic. Then, filling in the verses and structure. I’ve never had the experience where I start and end a song in the same day. I start with a part then sit with it for a while. It’s a very tedious process for me. I have friends who have written hundreds of songs, and have ‘throwaway’ songs. I don’t have those, but not in a pretentious way. I don’t do anything with ideas that I feel like won’t go all the way. I either make a full song, or I don’t touch it.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

On the topic of musical inspirations, Comfort Club explains that while John Mayer was an inspiration to get into music, his overall sound doesn’t reflect John Mayer’s music.

“I’d say lately it’s been The 1975, Valley… I love Cautious Clay. There’s a Canadian band called Dizzy, that basically inspired me to make indie music. That was in 2018, and that’s when I wanted to learn to produce. I’d say they’re the most influential on my sound.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

‘Comfort Club’ is a unique artist name, and it seems to reflect his musical sound. I described his overall sonic realm as ‘warm hug’. When asked if he feels that his artist name is reflective of, or connected to his music, he explains that though that wasn’t the original intention, there is a connection to be made.

“The sound didn’t inspire the name, and the name didn’t inspire the sound. They were both just independent thoughts. I feel that the through line of my music is just me and my personality, and ‘Comfort Club’ is like if I had a brand as a human being. I am always lounging around and wearing sweatpants, and that finds it’s way into my music. My music is never in your face, it’s subdued. Chill is the right word, very mellow pop. That’s just who I am as a person. I think that’s where my music, and my name, and everything ties back together. It’s just who I am as a person.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

At the time of our chat, Comfort Club had recently released his single “Not Over Falling For You Yet”.

“I was renting a room from my friend, and using it as a studio. Every day I would go and try to write or come up with an idea. I got the chorus idea, and it kind of sat there for a while. I finally wrote verses for it at the end of the month, and it sat for a while again. Then I made a demo for it and sent it to Atlas In Motion, and he sent me back a really cool production of it. I was like, this is a song. It felt very dynamic and fleshed out. I did the vocals over it, but then the files got corrupted. We were left with just the audio of it. It was just audio that couldn’t be mixed. I just then did the vocals over it and mastered them, and it sounds how it sounds. It was nice to just let go of judging myself. I think it fits my style really well, it’s an imperfect song and I’m happy about that.” - Colin Tracey for Tongue Tied Mag

Follow Comfort Club on social media so you don’t miss anything: Spotify // Instagram