Charlie Strange is a songwriter based in London working in the dream pop tradition, utilising both synths and piano to weave ethereal soundscapes of drifting grace. The result is something of a juxtaposition—blending the anthemic and the tender, the sad and the uplifting, hope and despair—a seamless yet conflicted sound suited to our strange old world.
Today, we’re delighted to be sharing a brand new single, ‘Tearing It Up’. With the heralding notes of piano laying a foundation of lush reverb from the beginning, Strange’s vocals arrive velvety and heartfelt. Soon an insistent drum beat kicks in too, suggesting a fierce and unyielding aspect to the track, and marking it as far more than a lesson in soft atmospherics.
Because, while the song takes on the age-old topic of unrequited love, it subverts the trope by flipping the dynamic, taking the perspective of the person who cannot love. So rather than the typical heartbreak and pining, Charlie Strange explores an imbalanced friendship and the accompanying unease. There is some remorse, yes, and no shortage of discomfort, but also an overriding cynicism. Not every story is a love story, at least not in the romantic sense.
This sentiment lies at the centre of the track, a rock hard kernel around which all else orbits. The result is no small amount of melancholy, but if you look closer then there is something else too. Because romantic love need not be the ultimate state, nor is it owed to anyone no matter what they mean or have meant.
‘Tearing It Up’ is out on the 15th December, and you can find Charlie Strange on Facebook and Instagram.