Charly Bliss Makes Everything Better

July 6, 2017 6:13 pm

More refreshing than an iced latte at Dunkin on a hot day. More rocking than a chair along Lake George. More fun than peeing on a trampoline? Um, the latter might or might not be. I’m just taking a line from a killer song from our featured band today. Don’t get any idea kids. I’m just setting up the story.

Charly Bliss have been praised by just about everyone (Pitchfork, Billboard, NPR – to name a few) thanks to their first full-length album Guppy. The Brooklyn-based band have been flowered with love (is that an expression?) for their throwback ‘90s alt-pop-rock sound that evokes Weezer, or for me, Letters to Cleo. But, let’s not just compare them to great acts from the decade of Steve Urkel. They’re more than that. Their songs are infectious with biting lyrics and an extremely tight sound with power hooks. There’s not a bad song on their ten-track album, and it’s quite easy to play it repeatedly.

Late last month, a few hours before they opened for Kevin Devine at Garcia’s in Port Chester (an A-Sides-presented show if I may give myself a self high five), the band (Eva and Sam Hendricks, Spencer Fox, and Dan Shure) sat down for a chat and performed two songs stripped down in offices above the landmark Capitol Theatre. I filmed it, which I don’t usually do. Don’t hold that against me or them. Just watch it. Love it. Get the album. Roll down the windows of your car. In a world that has gone bananas, this band is bliss personified.

About A-Sides with Jon Chattman – thisisasides.com
Jon Chattman’s music/entertainment series typically features celebrities and artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometime humorous) way. No bells, no whistles — just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, Jon strives for a refreshing change. Artists featured on the series include Imagine Dragons, Melissa Etheridge, Yoko Ono, Elle King, Joe Perry, Alice Cooper, fun, Bleachers, Charli XCX, Marina and the Diamonds, and Bastille.
*Jon Chattman’s currently working on a new book entitled Moving Foreword, a pop culture anthology with talent lending forewords to books they make up.