The mountaintops of Colorado were a proper place to start.
Four years ago, an exciting new sextet dropped an EP that began to slowly and steadily garner attention and accolades on a national scale. Now on the verge of releasing their proper full-length debut, Clay Street Unit has built a reputation for a thrilling live show comprised of their genre-blending compositions that are still finding new spaces in which to expand.
Sin & Squalor is Clay Street Unit's debut (due February 13), an early-year release that should propel them to new heights with a busy tour schedule. We recently caught up with lead vocalist Sam Walker to talk about the emotions at this stage of the band, the transformation of his own songwriting over the years, and the difficulties of capturing the live sound in the studio.
Analogue: I want to start with the emotional space you’re in before an album release, especially now that you’ve been through this before. You’re a few weeks out. How are things feeling in the lead-up?
Sam Walker: That’s a great question. With the holidays, the album release itself, and all the anticipation and preparation, it’s been hard to step back and take a breath. But I’d say I feel really ready. I’m ready to share this music with the world, first and foremost.
I feel proud. We put a lot of work, effort, time, and attention into this. It’s been a long but really fruitful journey from when we cut it to where it is now. I’m also excited and optimistic about what it can do for us, and hopefully for other people. It feels like our chance to put our best foot forward and finally show people who we are as a band, our first real statement out in the world.
Analogue: You mentioned what it can do for you and for other people. Can you put more tangible language to that?
Sam: For us, it’s multifaceted—career-wise, opportunity-wise—but more than anything, it’s just finally getting a record out there. For other people, the whole point of writing songs and releasing records is connection and shared human experience.
That’s why I write songs, and I think that’s why the rest of the band does too. It’s not just for us. There’s a cathartic element, sure, but it’s about playing them live, recording them, putting them out there for people to listen to, relate to, and make sense of within their own lives and narratives. There’s a double-edged quality to that, but in a really good way.
"We swing big, and sometimes we miss, but when you trust the people around you, that risk becomes part of the fun."
Analogue: Tell me about bringing these songs together into a proper album. Was this a slow collection over time, or a more intentional burst of writing?
Sam: It definitely wasn’t a week where we sat down and said, “We’re writing an album, here are the eleven songs.” Some of these songs I wrote when I was 24 or 25. Some when I was 27.
Others came after I met our mandolin player, Scottie [Bolin], which really changed how I approach songwriting. He pushed me to analyze more, to challenge my perspective and what I was committing to in a song. The record came together in waves, different versions of who I am as a songwriter and who we are as a band. There’s a lot of growing up on this record, a bit of a coming-of-age element.
At the same time, it feels true to one voice and perspective. You can tell it’s all coming from the same place. It all flows together.
Analogue: What was songwriting like for you before that shift? You mentioned how much it changed when you met Scottie.
Sam: Before that, it was mostly a personal outlet, a creative expression. I wasn’t thinking about a career in music. It just felt like the most natural way for me to engage creatively. When I met Scottie, I had already written songs that were very honest and true to my experience, and I still love that about those early songs. But he pushed me to think more deeply about the “why.” Not that I wasn’t thinking about it before—it just became more intentional.
He’d ask questions that changed the entire direction of a song. You might write something from one perspective, and suddenly he’d say, “What if this is actually from her point of view?” Small questions, but they had a huge impact. I’m more of a big-idea, all-over-the-place writer, and he’s very grounded and deliberate. That yin-and-yang made the songwriting more nuanced and less straightforward in a really good way.
Analogue: How did Chris Pandolfi [The Infamous Stringdusters] come into the picture as a producer?
Sam: Chris had produced two records for Morsel, a Denver band that some members of Clay Street were in before joining this project. They were comfortable with him and trusted his process. He’s a Colorado guy, we’d met him, and it felt like a natural fit, someone we trusted to help bring this project to life.
Analogue: Did working on a proper full-length debut feel different from recording singles or smaller projects?
Sam: Absolutely. We saw it as a moment in time. A record only exists in the space of those six or seven days you’re recording it, and we really cherished that. There was a different energy compared to cutting a single or an EP in one night. We were intentional, unhurried, and open to trying everything, figuring out what worked and what didn’t. You don’t know something doesn’t work until you hear it. It was as fun as it was tedious, in the best way.
Analogue: You guys are constantly on the road. I’m curious about the live dynamic. Does it still feel like you’re discovering new chemistry and flourishes with each other?
Sam: That’s honestly my favorite part of being in this band: the people. It’s five of my favorite humans. On paper, the music can seem very arranged and structured, but live, it really opens up. We try to showcase musicianship, chemistry, and friendship. Most of us have been playing together for years in different Denver projects, and we’ve all been friends in the scene for a long time.
We push the boundaries of what the live show is every night. We swing big, and sometimes we miss, but when you trust the people around you, that risk becomes part of the fun. When I go to shows, I love seeing bands that are clearly enjoying themselves. That energy is everything.
Analogue: One last thing. You talked about live chemistry, but how hard was that to capture in the studio?
Sam: It’s tough. They’re opposite worlds. For us, preparation is everything. When you’re in the studio, you want to be doing, not thinking. We tried to make the record feel as organic and live as possible. On about half the tracks, we used full-band takes—drums and bass together, no click. That’s the foundation.
Obviously, there are overdubs and solos later, but the core energy comes from playing together. Without an audience, without that tension and release, it’s harder. You’re in an isolation booth with a goal in mind. It can be intense. But the preparation—and leaning into a live feel—helped us feel comfortable and connected.
Analogue: Would you ever want to release a live recording?
Sam: Absolutely. We just started working with a consistent sound engineer, which has helped a lot with control and consistency. We’re feeling much better about where the live show is now, and that opens the door for something like that.
VISIT: Clay Street Unit
Photo: Robert Chavers
