ICYMI Review: Charly Bliss – ‘Guppy’

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Charly Bliss’s stunning album Guppy came out in April and and there I was months later still unaware of it. Don’t be like me. LISTEN UP AND DON’T MISS OUT. Here are a few of my favorite tracks from the record to fill you in.

I have a policy where I try to listen to 5 songs I’ve never heard every day. It helps me to hear a wide variety and really makes me appreciate when something is great. It’s because of this policy that I came across Charly Bliss’s track “Black Hole” – aptly named, because it sucked me in with absolutely no hope of escape. The song pulls you in with a melancholy combination of soft guitar and lead singer Eva Hendricks unique voice and then sticks on the soul.

I must have listened to this track 10 times before I tore myself away from it to hear the rest of the album. “I’ve never heard of this band before, how great can they be?” I asked in arrogance. Man, did they shut me up quick. Charly Bliss is so much more than the one hit wonder I thought they were. Right at the start of Guppy “Percolator” guitarist Spencer Fox kicks you in the face with an aggressive bubble grunge riff and it only gets better from there. Relentless bass and optimism flood the rest of the track. Really “Percolator” is a shot of dopamine straight to the dome and one of my top picks off the album

After that comes “Westermarck” which is a great song, a solid 9/10, but get this, that’s one of the weaker ones on this record. WE DON’T HAVE TIME! “Glitter” is the third track on the album and it’s beautifully layered vocals and excellently written lyrics come together to triumph. The track’s name doesn’t lie. The whole track sounds like it’s sparkling in the sunlight.

Finally, you have to hear “Totalizer” the heaviest track on the album, (with the possible exception of “Julia” which sounds like something an unreleased Nirvana track). The song keeps pace with the rest of the album and has a few subtle keyboard hooks, but what really makes this song is the plethora of riffs that sound like classic arcade music covered on a guitar. I know that’s a very specific description, but take a listen before you tell me that I’m wrong.

Seriously listen to this band. I’ll make it easy, here’s their YouTube link, their Spotify, and their Bandcamp!

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– Ryan Manns

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Hate the things I love? Love the things I hate? Wanna fight me IRL? Drop me a line at manns67@gmail or follow me on twitter at either @ryan_the_manns or @UndergroundNB. I also have a personal blog at ryanthemanns.tumblr.com so check that out too!