Charly Bliss blasted onto my music speakers about a year ago when I discovered their debut album ‘Guppy’. It was full of quirky, high-speed alt-rock that had rhythm and energy in spades. ‘Young Enough’ see’s the band dial some of this back for their take on a more laid back second album. Laid back by Charly Bliss standards is still anthemic roars for other bands.
Kicking off with the rousing ‘Blown to Bits’ we have the start of an album of lyrics that empower whilst tackling a variety of subjects. For fans of the first album, there are tracks like ‘Under You’, ‘Bleach’ and ‘Hard to Believe’. Here, the guitars and drums are thumping along at full tilt. The chords come thick and fast. The vocals, as they always are throughout the album, have a chirpy whine to them that delicately balance sassy cuteness and disinterested Americana.
Where Charly Bliss change things up are with the slower, more introspective tracks that were absent first time around. The melancholy electric piano with ‘Hurt Me’ feels warm yet lilting as the band slowly form around its yearning melody. ‘Camera’ and the title track also follow the slower, softer route too. The third element of the album, which is touched on best with the track ‘Chatroom’, is the indie-pop vibe. Happy, explosive upbeat moments with guitars that bleed into synths come to the fore and paint a colourful and vibrant world. It doesn’t happen often throughout the album but its certainly there.
For all of this though, I missed some of the rowdy elements of ‘Guppy’. This is a more standardised rock affair and Charly Bliss really do themselves proud taking on a more mainstream alt-rock tone. I hope this becomes a sleeper hit throughout 2019 as there are a more than a few summer rock anthems waiting to burst out of Young Enough. Fingers crossed its listened to enough…
Recommended track: Blown To Bits
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Charly Bliss - Young Enough
