My guest today is singer-songwriter Clara Mann, whose sophomore album, Wishbone, is out now.
I’ve been a fan of Mann’s work for a year or so, since I came across her achingly lovely song “Driving Home the Long Way,” a track from her 2025 debut album, Rift.
Rift is marked by Mann’s haunting, sometimes ethereal vocals and poignant, unguarded lyrics. It’s a break-up album of sorts, defined by the tenderness of someone holding onto the good things of the past while still feeling the pain of the present. Mann lays herself bare in these songs, and there’s a frailty and fragility to the record that is deeply moving.
To me, Rift is one of the most immediate and impressive first albums in recent years, and so when I saw that Mann had a new record coming out this fall, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to chat with her on the podcast.
If Rift is about heartbreak, then her new album, Wishbone, is all about hope. That emotional shift is mirrored in there being a fuller, richer sound on the record. There’s still a poignancy to the songs at times, but it’s frequently outshone by a real warmth and optimism, especially on standout songs such as “Fortuna,” “I’m Everyone Who’s Ever Said I Love You” and “All My Devotion.” I’ve had Wishbone on heavy rotation since the summer, and it’s a record that bears repeated plays and just continues to grow in my estimation.
I loved getting to talk to Mann, and in our wonderfully open conversation, she touched on such subjects as: climbing the legendary French peak Mont Ventoux with her 80-year-old father, the spoon that taught her about selflessness in art, the fake skater personas she invented with her teenage best friend, how she recently ended up spending a short vacation in a garden shed, the time she stayed up all night on MDMA at End of the Road festival, and much more.
Wishbone is out now, and it’s one of my favorite records of the year. Rift is also terrific and you should listen to them both a lot!
This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and our new theme music is “Partly Cloudy Days” by Oscar Louis.
Oscar Louis’s band Nowhere Else to Be has their debut album dropping December 4 – go follow them now!
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Next week on Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, my guest is … well, honestly, I kind of need to keep it a secret — but it’s a special one!
