Published September 1, 2026 at 9:16 AM EDT

Anne-Claire plays an EP release show at the Cat's Cradle Back Room on Friday, September 4. Dunums opens the night at 8 p.m.

On past recordings, specifically 2018's "I Still Look for You," and the 2021 single "Jean Jacket," Anne-Claire Cleaver, professionally known as Anne-Claire, has seamlessly moved from genre to genre. Dabbling in jazz, 1980s inspired synth rock, and several other styles in-between, she has spent her musical career showing off not only her immaculate skills as a vocalist, but also her broad taste in music.

Now after some time away, Anne-Claire is back with a collection of songs that each sound like they were manifested in some type of dreamworld.

Part of that feeling comes from the fact that on the EP, she worked with an orchestra whose arrangements were recorded at Manifold Studio in Pittsboro. Local all-stars Chris Stamey, Jeff Crawford, Sinclair Palmer, and Charles Cleaver helped out with those arrangements, and each one provides a perfectly rich and dreamy backdrop for Anne-Claire's otherworldly vocals.

The other part comes from the fact that her skills as a songwriter have never been better. She says that after recently completing an online songwriting class taught by Craig Carothers, she emerged with a newfound confidence in her skills as an artist.

The greatest example of that confidence is on the EP's title track and closing song, "Do You Dream of Me Too?" Anne-Claire says the song came from one of the most challenging prompts that she was assigned during the workshop.

"The point of it was to put yourself outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to do something in a completely different way," she said. "For (Do You Dream of Me Too?), I got a prompt that said to write a song with five sections, with none of the sections repeating."

Anne-Claire says that going through the process of writing such an intricate song brought to mind some advice she had received from a friend, fellow singer-songwriter Rachel Kiel.

"(Rachel) talks about how she had to kill the part of herself that loved musicals and musical theatre in order to love indie rock. She had to deny this other part of herself, and that really resonated with me because one is objectively cool, and one is not. I did operas and musicals when I was in my 20s, and that song turned into something you would maybe find in one of those productions."

In the end, Anne-Claire says that "Do You Dream of Me Too?" is her proudest moment on the record.

Another highlight of the EP is its first single "River." Anne-Claire says that song came from a prompt that asked her to write a song about a specific city. Her assignment was Florence, Italy.

"The pace felt like a Leonard Cohen song to me," she said. "I was really encouraged by my teacher to not take it at a fast pace, to not to make it feel frantic, which was very difficult for me."

When "River" was released, it was accompanied by a music video that was directed by Shoog McDaniel, an artist who lives in Northern Florida and is most commonly known for underwater portraits. Anne-Claire says that this was the first time that the artist had shot a music video and that the whole thing was shot on an iPhone.

"I flew to Florida in April, and it was already hot as you know what," she said. "The water was 73 degrees and crystal clear. There were tons of fish and lots of wildlife. It quickly became a place that I want to return to. The snorkeling around that area is just unbelievable. It's just crazy that something like that exists."

"Do You Dream of Me Too?" is out on Friday, September 4th.