‘I Love Hate You’ is Claude Hay’s third album which saw him win Male Vocalist of the year (2012) in the Australia Claude Hay - I Love Hate You Blues Music (Chain) Awards. Initial takes were at Memphis’ legendary Sun Studios to kick off the process and the remaining bulk of the recording and engineering done at Hay’s home built ‘Vader’ Studios (a huge back-lit Darth Vader mask overseeing production). The album continues Claude’s move away from traditional blues and back to his love of rock – both alternative and hard – with his childhood love of 80’s cock rock starting to show its influence. The signature slide is still there, along with the four-on-the-floor rhythms and gut-bucket sensibility, but new to the mix on album number three is an increased focus on guitar riffage along with a more refined approach to songwriting and production. This release sees Claude in a rare collaborative mood, with the input of other musicians on a number of tracks, most notably the rhythm section of Sydney band Chase The Sun. Mastering is courtesy of the great William Bowden (who mastered Gotye’s last album amongst thousands of others in his prestigious career). ‘I Love Hate You’ is a concept album – dealing with the things Claude loves, hates and loves to hate. From loved ones, great gigs, motor vehicles and treacherous trans-continental bus rides in the USA, bad customer service and indifferent radio programmers.