SXSW 2023: Coco & Clair Clair serve ‘Bad Lil Vibes’ on their US ‘Sexy’ tour
AUSTIN, Texas — “Feeling pretty, no matter the city,” Atlanta-based indie pop duo Coco & Clair Clair made a stop at South by Southwest’s Music Opening Party on March 14 during their United States “Sexy” tour.
Since their TikTok viral single, “Pretty,” Coco & Clair Clair have launched themselves beyond their initial internet stardom to amass over 1 million Spotify listeners per month.
“Sexy” is not only Coco & Clair Clair’s first full-length album, but also an epic “it-girl” collage of all the music they’ve created leading up to this point. Reminiscent of their 2017 seven-track album, “Posh,” “Sexy” is an elevated and self-realized upgrade to their discography.
While the album was released in late 2022, their North America tour is just beginning. Selling out cities like Dallas, Houston, Chicago and Seattle, Coco & Clair Clair are some of the only artists who actually live up to their songs’ grandiose claims.
The pair own an undeniable stage presence and unique inventiveness which discerns them from other live acts. Their ability to liven the crowd and create an atmosphere which emboldens people to move and be their authentic selves is a feat not many performing artists have acquired yet. Featuring “RuneScape-type beats” and dreamy, echoing vocals — it’s safe to say Coco & Clair Clair were unafraid to utilize the production process during their making of “Sexy.”
Opening their set with single “Cherub,” the idiosyncratic “Sexy” album is perfectly personified from the get-go, with the first lines by Coco singing “F— the NRA.” The meditative track features an unconventional xylophone melody paired with a classic trap beat — which stands to showcase how the duo finds inspiration in their own humor, and utilizes it to create simultaneously funny, interesting music.
Next up, Coco & Clair Clair strangely shout out Betty White in their song “Bad Lil Vibe.” With lyrics like “He wanna sync up with my period/Meanwhile he saved in my phone as ‘Idiot’” and “Your receding hairline is somewhere in a ditch,” these Atlanta girls sing a harsh diss-track to all the men they’ve rejected.
The track is a perfect example of the dichotomy between being serious and being superficial, which Coco & Clair Clair have perfected. They somehow maintain a certain balance in their projects which stops their crazy lyrics and beats from being misinterpreted as a spoof or parody. Instead, listeners can appreciate their niche and humorous music for its creativity and flair.
“TBTF” introduces another chill, mixed track Coco & Clair Clair expertly transform into a seductive live performance, which got the audience to move alongside them. Its laidback tones and alluring lyrics advocate for bodily autonomy, but in true Coco & Clair Clair fashion remain rooted in humor and pop-culture references.
The duo also performed “Crushcrushcrush,” a 2017 single produced by Paul Maxwell. The song makes light of the dreaded “this is him” picture, and is an all-around crowd-pleaser due to the witty lyrics and trendy melody. The number compares the would-be-beau to a duck while stating he’s “kind of ugly, but love is blind.”
The pair went on to sing “Wishy Washy,” from their 2020 “Treat Like Gold” EP. Coco & Clair Clair prove they know how to crowd please, as they slowly transitioned from their past hits to their new “Sexy” era by honoring the songs which led them to their current fame.
Finally, they closed the show with the hit that started it all, “Pretty.” The four-minute song shows how the duo rose to success, and are gaining even more traction during their U.S. tour.
With only a 30-minute long set, Coco & Clair Clair gave SXSW-goers a small taste of what their “Sexy” tour is to bring. From twinkling synth-pop rhythms to laidback it-girl raps, these two girls transform into pop stars on the stage, and are no-doubt fierce new innovators in the world of music today, “actin’ real rude.”
Featured Image Coco and Clair Clair open at Empire Garage as the first performance of the night for the SXSW Music Opening Party on March 14, 2023. Rose Wright
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