Cloning’s new single Just As You Are is a hazy, emotional and immersive track. Imagine Radiohead jamming with The War on Drugs.
The song explores self-acceptance, led by frontman Felix Parker’s gentle vocal and fully self-recorded and produced by bassist Nic Rollo. Their DIY approach is tight, refined and clearly working.

With millions of streams, sold-out shows across the country and a fast-growing grassroots fanbase (including 10K+ email subscribers and a buzzing Discord), Cloning are only just getting started. They’re set to play BIGSOUND 2025 and Felix was recently selected for John Butler’s Seed Fund workshop.

Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration for your single ‘Just As You Are’?
The song started out as a jam at rehearsal just before we hit the road on our last tour. This was a little different from how we usually write. Usually we write by recording and layering sounds then endlessly tinkering. It was a nice organic process coming up with this tune and we came back to finish it off after getting back from tour.

What are your influences and how do they affect your songwriting?
We like a lot of different music but what comes to mind most would be: Radiohead, Slowdive, Midnight Oil, The National, Sigur Ros, Everything Everything, Mew.
We try to pull from as many different places as we can because we find that’s how we get the most unique and interesting tune at the end.

What’s the creative process like for you?
Often the songs start as a chord progression and melody/lyric that Felix has come up with. We’ll have a lot of these mini ideas floating around at a time and eventually flesh out our favourites into full tunes.
Nic our bass player records, mixes and produces our tunes and this gives us a lot of room for experimenting with the recording and production process - but also plenty of room for overthinking too!

If you could change something about the Australian music industry what would it be?
Greater accessibility and inclusivity for artists and music fans with disabilities.

What do you think life would be like for you if you didn’t have music as an outlet?
Bleak, art gives meaning and expression to everyday life, it’s magic.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with? Why?
Brian Eno. He’s such a prolific innovator.

What’s your advice to young people who want to make a career for themselves in the industry?
Don’t

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve worked with/met?
Dave Parkin (Spacey Jane, Karnivool) recorded and mixed our first 2 EP’s and has been a really important part of our growth as songwriters, musicians and producers.

Any plans for a tour on the cards?
Yes but it’s top secret 🕵️‍♂️ in the meantime we are playing BIGSOUND in Brisbane this September which we’re really excited for.

A Quick Chat with Cloning