Charly Bliss A Sonic Time Capsule of Love and Growth
Forever, Charly Bliss’s third album is a sonic time capsule that encapsulates the past five years of the band’s journey, filled with life-altering changes and the profound love that has held them together. Produced by Jake Luppen and Caleb Wright of Hippo Campus, this album doesn’t shy away from the big emotions that come with growing up—romantic love, friendship, and the highs and lows of life are all laid bare, with a soundtrack that’s as big and bright as these feelings deserve.
When the band began writing in 2020, the world was experiencing a fun deficit. Charly Bliss set out to remedy that with a simple goal: to make music that was fun, a reflection of their natural state. As Spencer Fox aptly puts it, “No one has more fun than us, and no one loves each other more than us.” This sense of joy and camaraderie, born from years of shared experiences and a deep bond between the four members, is the heartbeat of Forever.
Opening with the punchy “Tragic,” the album immediately pulls you in with its infectious energy, a hallmark of Charly Bliss’s sound. But this time around, there’s an added layer of emotional depth. Songs like “Back There Now” and “I’m Not Dead” reflect on the passage of time and the challenges of maintaining personal connections in the face of life’s upheavals. Yet, despite these weighty themes, the music remains buoyant and full of life, much like fireworks exploding in the night sky.
Unlike their previous albums, where songwriting was done together in a room, the writing sessions for Forever were remote, with Eva Hendricks in Australia and the rest of the band scattered across the U.S. Ironically, this distance brought them closer together, allowing each member to contribute in new and unexpected ways. Eva’s demos, recorded in a parked rental car, and Sam’s late-night ideas scribbled down in the dark add a sense of urgency and raw emotion to the album. This sleepless energy permeates tracks like “Nineteen” and “Waiting For You,” which shimmer with the jittery excitement of new love and the bittersweet ache of nostalgia.
Forever feels like a love letter to the band’s past and present and an optimistic look towards the future. It’s an album that captures what makes Charly Bliss so beloved—irresistible hooks, heartfelt lyrics, and an unshakeable sense of fun, all wrapped up in a package that’s as emotionally resonant as it is sonically exhilarating. Whether you’ve been a fan from the start or are just discovering them now, Forever is a must-listen, and it’s a joy to hear the band so clearly in love with what they do.
