Folk singer-songwriter, Olive Klug (they/them) has just released their debut album Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded, which they described as “a misfit, coming-of-age” record and explores their experiences of making sense of a senseless world, embracing their queer identity, navigating relationships, and how it feels to establish adulthood in unprecedented times. 

An audience began to grow around Klug’s music in late 2020 when they started performing and going live on TikTok. Now, at the time of their debut release, they have 175,000 followers, 2.9 million likes and counting, on TikTok alone. Taking inspiration from Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Lizzy McAlpine, Adrianne Lenker, and more, it’s no surprise that Don’t You Mare Make Me Jaded combines the storytelling aspects and contemporary aesthetics of these iconic musicians.

With Don’t Make Me Jaded, Klug believes a coming-of-age story shouldn’t be reserved only for our high school or college experiences, but can spill into the later years of your life as we all do our best to find our footing. This eleven song tracklist portrays Klug’s highest talents through their storytelling, versatile vocals, and a nostalgic lens on all of our childhoods. 

On the album, Klug shares, “When I was in high school, I was coming of age, but it was more ‘I am growing up and still conforming to these ideals that I've been taught. Once you deconstruct all of that, you're left on your own, and you're in charge of everything you do. You're in the driver's seat of your own life, you have to refigure everything out, especially if you're not following the script that people give you.”

The lead single, “Out Of Line”, was written shortly after Klug moved to Los Angeles, California from their home state of Oregon. Setting the tone for the album - finger-picked acoustics and a tinkling piano -  this is a song about unlearning the rules you've been taught and deciding to write your own,” Klug noted. Through this call to action piece, Klug wants you to truly question everything you once knew and to put your identity, your joy, and your life on the highest pedestal. The theme of “Out of Line” is a direct juxtaposition to the LP’s first song on its tracklist, “Faking It”. “Faking It” is a playful melody with ethereal harmonies that begins that process of questioning the people and world around us. You feel as though you are riding along Klug who, as the song’s narrator, is following the rules and doing everything they should be, yet nothing feels real. 

“Second Opinion” is on the slower end of things but shows a more honest side to Klug’s lyricism and emotions. It lets the listener know that reaching out for help, looking for that second opinion in others, is still okay. We don’t have to go through life alone, nor should we.   

“Coming of Age”, the title paying homage to the theme behind the LP, is an incredible raw ode to teen angst that never seems to end. In the track, Klug states, they “still relate to Ladybird” and that “Taylor Swift makes me feel heard.” Be honest, we’ve all watch a typical high school film about the angsty teen who doesn’t seem to fit in with their peers, i.e. The Edge of Seventeen, Booksmart, The Duff, etc. We thought “Bath Bomb” and “Parched” were the perfect songs to follow up “Coming Of Age”, which share the emotion of young love and the feelings we all felt at that time, as well as the flip side of putting all our efforts into a relationship that doesn’t give anything back. You win some, you lose some. Welcome back to teen angst!

Moving into the last half of the album, “Cut The Ties” brings the mood up with the long held dream of jumping into our cars and never returning to our hometown. As a teen who left home before 18, I’ve felt the wide range of emotions that come with leaving home. Happiness and freedom, to loneliness and guilt, but I don’t regret it and now in my mid-twenties, “Cut The Ties” helps me feel even more content with my decision. Klug says, “I use the lyric ‘loneliness suits the open road like a hand-me-down coat, the movie still ain’t old after all this time’ to demonstrate that this escapist, open-road mentality is a common, distinctly American impulse. The trope of cutting the ties and setting off remains exciting and golden, even though it’s been disproven so many times.”

“Casting Spells” is a unique addition to the album as it started out as a TikTok call and response. This nostalgic look at Klug’s childhood and the lessons they still hold closer to them has us all reflecting back on the younger versions of ourselves. Even as young adults, we lose sight of who we used to be and maybe even push those memories to the furthest parts of our mind. Hold your younger self close, they went through a lot to help you get to where you are now.

“Do You Think of Us?” and “Ghost of Avalon” lean more towards those classic-folk tunes we sing with friends on acoustic guitars. They feel like home in a way. There are so many bittersweet moments in our life that point to hints of nostalgia - both good and bad - but still a part of us nonetheless.

“Taking Up Space” provides Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded with the perfect conclusion. It’s a ballad that tells us we are okay and we deserve to be here just as much as the next person. It’s never easier to accept that we deserve the chances we’ve been given, but turn “Taking Up Space” up as loud as your speakers will allow you and really feel it.

Olive Klug perfectly captures and expresses the experiences of young adults everywhere. By the time we leave college, the world expects us to have everything figured out; however, almost every twenty-something I know would tell you otherwise. As Klug expands on this topic, “You don't have to listen to this script that people have given you. It's about figuring out that you can make your own rules, you can do what you want. So many of the songs are about realizing that you are in charge of your life.”

We are very excited to share this debut piece by Olive Klug. We can’t wait to follow their journey from TikTok to now stardom and see what the future holds for this incredibly heartfelt, massively talented singer-songwriter.