EP Review: Filip Clements – Taking Flight

2026 is going to be a great year for singer-songwriter Filip Clements, judging by his new EP, Taking Flight.

Clements was born in Norway, part of a musical family. He initially enlisted in the army as a teenager, soon finding himself playing and writing late into the night while on active service in the Arctic Circle. On leaving the army, he spent some time writing and recording in Stockholm with Joachim Berg and Martin Sköld of Swedish rock band Kent.

Life brought him to London, and the last few years have seen him honing his skills, signing to Eastcote Recordings, and working with the likes of Catherine Marks (boygenius and Ed O’Brien), Martin Terefe (Yungblud and Robbie Williams), and Tord Knudsen of The Wombats.

Once you hear the EP, it’ll be obvious why Filip Clements has attracted such heavy-hitters behind him, and it’s not just down to the movie star looks that have graced the covers of his singles.

The EP’s title track is a prime slice of festival-friendly indie rock, as Clements regales us with a story of love that isn’t going quite to plan. He has an ear for a pop hook, as the guitar hits some post-punk notes, but the overall effect is of a reinvention of 00s indie music, with The Strokes, The Wombats, and Courteeners coming to mind.

That does put Clements in exalted company, but there’s no indication that kind of comparison is unwarranted. Right Place Wrong Time is a banger, smooth and sensual, possessing a bass line that is as irresistible as the vocals. Again, it shows that while he is first and foremost an indie artist, Clements is able to create and deliver a pop-facing chorus that is destined to become a call-and-response feature at his live shows.

Typhoon and Fever Dream keep to that script, even as the arrangements find themselves in harder indie terrain. The lyrics are reflective and intelligent; Clements has the voice of a wounded angel, beauty mixed with pain, and an ability to communicate his feelings directly to the listener. After Taking Flight, he is set to drop his debut album Soft Apocalypse this autumn – I have no doubt that there will be a highly receptive audience for it.

Filip Clements has a series of live dates lined up in London through May and June, with gigs at such historic venues as The Troubadour, The Half Moon, and Dublin Castle among those already announced. He is also playing Parken Festival in Norway this August.

You can find Right Place Wrong Time on 7” limited-edition vinyl on Bandcamp, where it is accompanied by Typhoon. You can get to know Filip Clements on his TikTok and Instagram socials, while his singles are available to stream on Spotify.