Rapper, singer team for new Bend duo Cliquot!

Published 12:15 am Thursday, January 23, 2020

‘Summertrap,’ Cliquot!

Self-released

“Summertrap” is the debut, three-song EP from Bend pop/hip-hop duo Cliquot! (pronounced “clee-co,” as rapper Amsterdam helpfully shouts out on the title track). “We started dating, wrote songs together, broke up, decided to release the music, and ultimately got back together,” the duo stated in an email. “If you like rollercoasters, this one is clearly to be continued.”

The EP finds longtime Bend rapper Amsterdam teaming up with singer Paige Bevando for a breezier romp than the former’s recent EPs, “Yrstruly” and “Crush.” However, Amsterdam and newcomer Bevando both bring intensity to their performances, with Bevando providing strong hooks on the trap-influenced title track and the groovy “Eternal” to counterpoint Amsterdam’s typically laid-back verses.

Final track “Don’t Close Your Eyes” is the shortest song here, but offers the most promise for this new duo. Bevando and Amsterdam sing call-and-response lines over an electronically manipulated acoustic guitar line and an insistent beat.

— Brian McElhiney, The Bulletin