Queer artist Olive Klug shares new single “Casting Spells” + announces debut LP “Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded”

Today, LA-via-Portland queer singer-songwriter Olive Klug (they/them) announces their debut album Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded out August 11th via Nettwerk. It’s accompanied by their new single “Casting Spells” and its animated music video created by Melissa Ladybug. Earlier this week, Olive kicked off an 18-date trek supporting Daisy the Great on their “All You Need Is Time” tour.

The spare acoustic effort “Casting Spells,” which started as a TikTok prompt, is a nostalgic look back at Klug’s childhood memories and the lessons they’ve taken with them into adulthood. With Olive’s pitch-perfect, versatile vocals and keen storytelling ability, “Casting Spells” is about discovering the magic in the mundanity and celebrating one’s own autonomy. Such as with many of the tracks off the debut album, “Casting Spells” relates to the “second adolescence” one experiences in their 20’s. It’s about trying to maintain a positive outlook in a bleak world by bringing a childlike wonder into adulthood.

Olive Klug shares this about their new single:

“‘Casting Spells’ sparse acoustic instrumentation and delicate, narrative vocals invite listeners to bring their inner child along as a passenger in their life’s journey. Prompting both nostalgia and excitement for the present moment, I hope to demonstrate that coming into one’s own autonomy is inherently magical. The song includes the eponymous lyric ‘Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded’ of my debut album coming in July, which explores themes of pursuing joy in the face of a bleak world and experiencing the final page of your coming-of-age journey that happens in early adulthood when you arrive in the driver’s seat of your own life.”

WATCH + SHARE “CASTING SPELLS” MUSIC VIDEO

Olive reveals this about the animated music video, “I feel so lucky to have connected with Melissa Ladybug, who made the animated music video. She had an incredibly clear grasp on the ethos of this song and brought its magic to life. The story follows a child who meets a fairy who has the power to make the flowers grow. All through the child’s life, they hope to grow wings and create magic in the same way that the fairy did. Finally, they discover that the way they’re able to create magic is by playing music. Once they discover this, they’re able to grow wings and ‘cast spells’ on people all over the world; their music inspires a woman to finish her painting, helps an older couple rekindle their love, and even hypnotizes an angry bear to join a campfire song circle (that’s my favorite part!) One of the coolest parts of this video was her ability to bring my logo to life; LA-based artist Sadie Jean Spezzano does all my logo and single cover artwork, and Melissa was able to effectively incorporate Sadie’s style into this video, which was so cool to see!”

Olive Klug’s Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded is a free-spirited, post-adolescence record about the uncertainty of the path less traveled by, choosing freedom over conformity, and allowing oneself to make mistakes. In return, Olive hopes the overarching sound pays homage to their favorite folk singer-songwriters, with poignant lyrics and passionate vocals as the record’s centerpiece.

In their own words, they reveal this about their debut record, “The central theme of my debut album, ‘Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded’ is exactly what it sounds like; a brave proclamation that in the face of a world that tries to make us conform, take away our rights, and convince us that all hope is lost, I refuse to become jaded. It’s about coming of age in the modern day; discovering ways to pursue joy, write my own rules, and learn how to take up space as someone who has been taught to make myself small.”

“Casting Spells” follows their February released single “Parched.” The song alludes to a relationship that has lost its purpose, in essence feeling ‘parched’ and in need of something to quench this insatiable thirst for love and attention. Produced by Ehren Ebbage (Lizzy McAlpine), Olive brings a sense of renewed intimacy and vintage songwriting to the forefront of this folk-y and striking effort. The track was accompanied by a beautifully choreographed music video directed by Anastasia Duchess, featuring dancer Shannon Kelly and choreographed by Marie Spieldenner.

Prior to “Parched,” Olive released “Coming of Age,” a track written during a time of frustration, angst, sadness, and the inability to ‘grow up’ in a fractured world. Towards the end of 2022, Olive shared their first single with Nettwerk, the rebellious acoustic track titled “Out of Line.” A song about breaking apart the rules you’ve been taught and deciding to construct your own, “Out of Line” embodies a homey, indie-folk atmosphere that’s driven by bittersweet lyricism and simple instrumentation.

“Casting Spells” is available at all digital retailers here: https://oliveklug.ffm.to/castingspells

See below for Olive Klug’s full set of tour dates with Daisy the Great. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit https://oliveklug.com/shows

Tour Dates w/ Daisy the Great:

4/14 – The Basement – Columbus, OH

4/15 – Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL

4/16 – 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN

4/18 – Marquis Theater – Denver, CO

4/19 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT

4/21 – Holocene – Portland, OR

4/22 – Barboza – Seattle, WA

4/25 – Cafe du Norde – San Francisco, CA

4/28 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA

4/29 – House of Blues Voodoo Room – San Diego, CA

5/2 – Club Dada – Dallas, TX

5/3 – Antone’s – Austin, TX

5/5 – Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA

5/7 – The End – Nashville, TN

5/10 – Foundry – Philadelphia, PA

5/11 – Songbyrd – Washington, DC

5/12 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY

More Info:

A key player in the new wave of contemporary folk artists, Olive Klug is known for their beautiful tone, vividly honest storytelling, and modern lyrical sensibility. Their style takes inspiration from genre icons like Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile as well as modern favorites like Lizzy McAlpine and Adrianne Lenker.

Olive currently resides in Los Angeles but was raised in Portland, Oregon. Their upbringing in the Pacific Northwest inspires many parts of their artist project including their self-described ‘Camp Counselor’ aesthetic and their focus on building community with fans. Twenty-five years old but a kid at heart, Olive is making songs on TikTok and displaying a deep sense of sincerity and genuine excitement that has rallied their fans and supporters along the way. Since arriving on the platform in the summer of 2020, Olive Klug’s TikTok fanbase has grown to over 163K followers with over 2.7M likes across their video content.

Following the success of their TikTok video previews and 2019’s self-released debut EP Fire Alarm, Olive began steadily releasing music in 2021, which included their single “Raining In June” that has accumulated 7M+ streams on Spotify alone. In 2022, Olive released a trio of songs including, “Out of Line,” the Liz Phair cover “Why Can’t I?” and “Self Help.” These handful of songs from the past couple of years chronicle Olive’s struggle to make sense of a senseless world and reflects their experience with queer identity, ambivalence in romantic relationships, and the difficulties to establish adulthood in unprecedented times.

During this album cycle, Olive’s received support from Under The Radar, them, GLAAD, The Bluegrass Situation, Texas Observer, INTO, The Luna Collective, Unclear Magazine, Lucid Magazine, and more. These releases garnered support from Spotify playlists such as Fresh Folk, Next Gen Singer-Songwriters, Limelight, Soft & Slow, and more.