Serena Clara's 'Big Bad Pearl' Encapsulates the Dread of the Modern Age

South London artist is steadily carving a space in the indie and experimental pop world.

Serena Clara has released her latest single, 'Big Bad Pearl,' a track that channels the nameless dread of living in an age of constant digital noise and collective fatigue. The South London alt-pop artist crafts a dreamlike descent into the overwhelming nature of daily headlines, where crises arrive so rapidly that they outpace our ability to process them. Both haunting and expansive, the song captures a disorienting tension between numbness and intensity.

Known for her self-described “existential poetry-pop,” Clara draws on folk, classical, ambient, and electronic influences to shape her sound, which has been likened to visionaries such as Kate Bush, Caroline Polachek, and Mitski. As a self-taught producer and composer, she thrives on experimental choices, sculpting raw lyricism into bold, layered soundscapes. 'Big Bad Pearl' is no exception, a track that feels both deeply personal and strikingly universal.

The release of 'Big Bad Pearl' marks another step in Clara’s evolving journey as an artist who leans into the uncomfortable, exploring themes of alienation, resilience, and the human condition through her maximalist sonic palette. Adding to its life, the track is set to be reimagined in the new year with a remix from fellow boundary-pusher twst, promising a fresh perspective on Clara’s haunting world.

With 'Big Bad Pearl,' Serena Clara continues to assert herself as one of the UK’s most intriguing emerging voices, inviting listeners into a soundscape that resonates with both urgency and unease.