Inspired by Paul Simon’s wordy magical chaos, Olive Klug’s “Train of Thought” is a whimsical, high-speed detour into the heart of chaos, creativity, and identity – a dizzying burst of abstract lyricism and liberated self-expression that finds the singer/songwriter at their most playful and uninhibited, charging full steam ahead toward their eagerly anticipated sophomore album, ‘Lost Dog.’
Stream: “Train of Thought” – Olive Klug
There’s a train in the sky in the middle of my mind and it’s flying off a one-way track…
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There’s a train hurtling through the sky in Olive Klug’s mind, and we’re all invited aboard.
Wild, whimsical, and fervently fast-paced, “Train of Thought” is an unrelenting burst of wordplay and wonder – a folk fever dream fueled by neurodivergent liberation, lyrical abstraction, and unfiltered authenticity. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t just play; it gallops, sprinting headlong into the magic and mayhem of a mind in motion. Paying homage to one of their musical heroes, Klug cracks their mind wide open to deliver a fast-moving lyrical lightning storm that’s delightfully off the rails.
There’s a train in the sky
in the middle of my mind
and it’s flying off a one-way track
and i try to button up my suit and tie
in an attempt to hold it back
But there’s this strange old
conductor wearing pearls
and a backwards baseball cap
There’s a shoe on the floor
crackin’ open the door
to the banned book of my heart
And I’m just peekin’
through the darkness
waiting for the end to start and there’s
a strange librarian smashin’
all the windows of her car
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Train of Thought,” the third single taken off Olive Klug’s forthcoming sophomore album, Lost Dog (out April 25, 2025 via Signature Sounds). The follow-up to Klug’s 2023 debut album Don’t You Dare Make Me Jaded finds the Portland-born, Nashville-based singer/songwriter doubling down on both craft and conviction, blending their signature storytelling with a newfound sense of freedom. Lost Dog is, by Klug’s own admission, a record about wandering and wondering — about navigating the instability that comes with choosing a nontraditional path, and learning to embrace the uncertainty that follows.
The van-dwelling DIY artist has never taken the easy route — and Lost Dog reflects that same restless, soul-searching spirit.
Its lead single, “Taking Punches From the Breeze,” introduced the album with tender introspection, painting a portrait of surrender and self-trust as Klug let the wind guide their next move. Meanwhile, the buoyant, zydeco-inspired “What to Make of Me” put a playful spin on unrequited love, radiating confidence even in uncertainty. Each track peels back a different layer of Klug’s experience as a neurodivergent, queer, and fiercely independent artist forging their own path — both on the road and within themselves.
Lost Dog’s third single, “Train of Thought,” is a departure from Klug’s usual style, even by their own standards. Inspired by a songwriting workshop exercise and rooted in a love for one of their favorite songwriters, the track trades Klug’s typical literal storytelling for a freewheeling flurry of metaphor and motion – something looser, more abstract, and intentionally off-kilter. It’s playful, poetic, and unapologetically non-linear — a stream-of-consciousness unraveling that invites listeners inside a neurodivergent mind as it resists categorization, embraces contradiction, and finds freedom through chaos.
Sometimes the river don’t flow
Sometimes the eye of the storm
has a glow, like a north star
or a small town bar
or a cheat code
Sometimes you can’t see the road
Or the bright yellow phlegm
in the back of your throat
Everything hides
In plain sight
Like the wind blows
“I wrote this song in Sisters, Oregon during a songwriting workshop that I led about writing a song inspired by the style of your favorite artist,” Klug tells Atwood Magazine. “‘Train of Thought’ is my take on Paul Simon’s wordy magical chaos. I broke out of my usual literal storytelling lyrical style and into the world of abstract metaphors, to let the listener in on what it’s like to be neurodivergent, and how I’ve recently embraced this internal chaos instead of trying so hard to control and repress it.”
Tugging at a single spark of inspiration and letting it spiral outward, Klug paints a thrilling frenzy from the ground up, embarking on a rollicking ride through the subconscious driven by a conductor wearing “pearls and a backwards baseball cap.” Klug’s lyrics are at once surreal and sharply personal, filled with vivid metaphors that blur the line between imagination and identity. By leaning into abstraction, they craft a soundscape that mirrors the unpredictability of thought itself – one that’s as sonically captivating as it is emotionally revealing.
That imagery isn’t just whimsical; it’s intentional – a metaphorical expression of selfhood that ties Klug’s inner world to their outward presentation.
“With lyrics like ‘and they try to button up my suit and tie in an attempt to hold me back but I’m this strange old conductor wearing pearls and a backwards baseball cap,’ I highlighted how my non-traditional gender presentation is intrinsically linked to my neurodivergence and desire to resist societal pressures.”
There’s an old man
sitting by the podium stand
with hazy far-off eyes
And he starts giggling like a little girl
who just spoiled her own surprise
And he says oh please
Stop looking at me
I’m getting dizzy
There’s a couple scars
on this here guitar
about a hundred on my skin
I love to take a fall, miss your call,
and then get back up again
I’m getting too free for you to like me
But I’ll still let you in
The music video for “Train of Thought” mirrors the song’s frenetic, exhilarating spirit with playful precision. Shots of Klug strumming their guitar and singing with fervor are spliced between chaotic footage of train crashes and near-misses, reinforcing the track’s metaphorical edge while leaning into its sense of irreverent fun. The visuals veer between the literal and the absurd, eventually showing Klug donning the full conductor getup — pearls, backwards baseball cap, and all. It’s kinetic, delightfully disjointed, and intentionally unpredictable: A visual representation of the very chaos Klug has wholeheartedly embraced.
Sometimes the river don’t flow
Sometimes the eye of the storm
has a glow, like a north star
or a small-town bar
or a cheat code
Sometimes you can’t see the road
Or the bright yellow phlegm
in the back of your throat
Everything hides
In plain sight
Like the wind blows
If Lost Dog is a record about embracing uncertainty, then “Train of Thought” is its chaotic, cathartic heartbeat: A celebration of inner disarray and the beauty of not having it all figured out.
Bold, beautifully eccentric, and brilliantly self-aware, the track finds Olive Klug at their most experimental and expressive, letting go of convention in favor of something far more truthful. It’s a moment of joyful release — and a reminder that sometimes, the best path forward is the one that doesn’t follow any tracks at all.
Watch the runaway music video for “Train of Thought” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for Olive Klug’s sophomore album Lost Dog, out April 25th via Signature Sounds!
There’s a train in the sky
in the middle of my mind
and it’s flying off a one-way track
and they try to button
up my suit and tie
in an attempt to hold me back
But I’m this strange old conductor
wearing pearls
and a backwards baseball cap
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:: stream/purchase Train of Thought here ::
:: connect with Olive Klug here ::
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Stream: “Train of Thought” – Olive Klug
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© Alex Steed
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