Charly Bliss - ‘Forever’ review
Charly Bliss by Milan Dileo
Last Friday saw something of a comeback for Charly Bliss as they released their third studio album, Forever. The close-knit line-up, composed of siblings Eva and Sam Hendricks, lead guitarist Spencer Fox, and bassist Dan Shure, aims to ‘crush you under the weight of pure feeling’ – and absolutely succeed in doing so.
Bringing power to accepting the truth of heartbreak, managing to produce an overall aura of bright, colourful happiness, as we celebrate the vulnerable experience of human existence, Forever is a record of unmistakable power pop, moving in more ways than one.
The production of this record feels instantly three-dimensional as pace, rhythm and composition gradually layer and build with space for music and lyric alike to speak for themselves, but both lift each other up in some incredible stand-out moments.
A clear feeling jumps to mind at the opening of each song, invoking strong narrative visuals and a tangible feeling of a world-building around you, of expertly handled twists and turns with highlights of upbeat, bouncy, pop and refreshingly simple but stunningly effective production by Jake Luppen and Caleb Wright.
“Tragic” almost acts as the exposition to the album, grabbing us with a gentle vocal, a captivating rhyming scheme and the nostalgic 80s feel of Kids in America. An overarching theme of self-deprecation brings a relatable context to its title creating a landing pad for some casual humour as a hint of backing vocal brings forward the concept of being stronger together through difficult times.
Text becomes subtext as sweet and impactful lyrics are punctuated and highlighted by clever production, and at times lack thereof, and through stimulating instrumental variety and complexity, mirroring the rollercoaster of falling in love, there is a clear sense of excitement building.
“Calling You Out” maintains a hard-hitting impact within its first opening notes with lyrics that immediately conjure sympathy as a story takes shape. With its unique vocal and intoxicating bass, tempo and pace, not to mention immense capacity of passion, this is music that demands you to feel and compels you to dance and, by the close of the second song, it is clear Charly Bliss have mastered the catchy hook.
“Back There Now” showcases an impressive textured production and a certain innocence to the vocal, on the line between ick and iconic, but, above all, lends itself to some incredible live performances - perhaps to prove true sooner than later as they travel to the UK this year to play Pitchfork London!
“Nineteen” slows it down but remains bold, steady and heavy, with a conversational lyric structure and defiant fluidity not unlike The 1975. It is here, and only here, floating in a suspended aura, witness to the audial conflict between romanticised fiction and reality, that our lyricists make a genius decision to bring us that universally ticklish moment of dropping the title in the project.
“In Your Bed” brings us a brilliant acoustic sound, raw, deep and poetic, in a definitive demonstration of a band confident in their prowess and comfortable in themselves. Amongst this stand out song is the first prominent instance of combined vocals, uplifting their sense of storytelling in the stylistic combination of the rhythmical and the emotive.
Aside from being a little rhyming couplet to its predecessor, “I’m Not Dead” brings a wonderfully constructed heavy honesty with a sense of subtle celebration and sarcastic pride. The track features the album’s best case of production that surprises you in unexpected ways, bringing moments of screaming silence and hard-hitting impact, mismatching gentle vocals with bold backgrounds.
As the eye falls to “How Do You Do It”, the absence of a question mark speaks volumes before it sings. The most matter-of-fact of all the tracks, it sees the narrative come to a gripping point of clarity and acceptance, asking AND answering the question, not only the words but the feeling behind them.
Dropping in sophisticated vocab and synth backing track of a more techno feel, “I Don’t Know Anything” transitions us into a darker realm of the album, soft but powerful. Upon recognising an airy quality to the song, of submitting to the way things are, listeners can experience the freedom that comes from saying ‘and that’s okay’.
“Here Comes The Darkness” is the explosion of emotion amongst composure. In an amazingly articulate album, the choruses don’t once tower over the verses, rather masterful writing is consistent throughout and here culminates in final lines that perfectly encapsulate the catharsis of the song and the ultimate journey and lesson that never fails to come with each.
“Waiting For You” sees a shining light break through as a sense of happiness and calm rebuilds. With a sound eerily close to that of Paramore, this track shows again the expert structure of the band with smooth self-aware transitions.
“Easy To Love You” is a perfect example of the band’s ability to capture us with our conventional understanding of an emotion or experience and gradually bring us on a journey, perfectly demonstrating the depth of these feelings. A wonderful vocal twang rings out in a clearly swerve towards the romanticised view suggesting an idea of being out the other side, in sight of something better. By the closing notes of “Last First Kiss” we feel a complete lack of fear and a beautiful, perfect happiness.
The intimate connection achieved in discussion of something so personal is a testament to the relationship between the artists. It’s hard to believe how much distance was in fact between them when the process of recording demos began, with Eva halfway across the planet in Australia.
The feeling of freedom the group must have felt in a creative process entirely anew, not a deadline in sight, seeps deep into the album and, in what can only be described as poetry made from diary entries, the group achieve their goal of fun but maintain that very important realism.
Forever from Charly Bliss is out now via Lucky Number and available on all good streaming platforms. You can catch Charly Bliss at the London edition of the Pitchfork Festival in November.
