Imogen Clark - Choking on Fuel (2025) Hi-Res

As a Sydney expat based in Nashville, Imogen Clark knows all about straddling different scenes. This spirited acoustic record follows suit, tapping collaborators from Australia, America and England as Clark re-imagines eight songs from 2024’s The Art of Getting Through. That album’s title track lands a centrepiece harmonica solo from long-time Willie Nelson sideman Mickey Raphael here, while Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper brings gravitas to the stripped-down “If I Want In”. The latter showcases Clark’s trademark lyrical sting as she reflects on her peer group now being divided between marriage and rehab. She’s similarly resolute when singing about languishing in the Western Sydney suburbs on the Steve Poltz co-write “Squinters” and ruminating over bitter romantic betrayal on “Sebastian”, featuring bluegrass outfit Midnight Chicken. But the biggest surprise isn’t a dramatic redo of one of her own songs, but a closing piano version of Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy” with English singer-songwriter Kezia Gill. Clark has toured with both of those artists before, which makes her slow-build cover yet another satisfying feat of bridging creative and geographical gaps.