Are you ready for Charlie Reed? Are you ready for an indie rock supergroup? I have faith in you. I don’t know why I would even doubt you. Charlie Reed’s debut is below so go ahead and dive in. Be sure to tell everyone that you heard it here first. I wouldn’t like to lose my cred that I barely have.
| Today, Chicago, IL indie-rock supergroup Charlie Reed — composed of members Luke Trimble (Uh Bones), Colin Croom (Twin Peaks), Nick Beaudoin (Spread Joy), Nora Chin, Nolan Chin, Tyler Bixby (Spread Joy), and Justin Vittori (Diviño Niño) — share their debut album, Eddy, out now via Earth Libraries. When his previous group Uh Bones called it quits, Trimble assembled the Charlie Reed band. Where Uh Bones sat comfortably in the guitar fuzz between The Kinks and Ty Segall, Charlie Reed relies more on acoustics and George Harrison swoon. Trimble’s sterling falsetto and warm washes of guitar are bolstered in the latest iteration of the lineup by Twin Peaks’ Colin Croom on guitar and pedal steel, Divino Niño’s Justin Vittori on guitar, Nick Beaudoin on bass, Nolan Chin on piano and organ, Tyler Bixby on drums, and Nora Chin on backing vocals. To further expand the universe, the group added more drumming, violin, and viola in the studio, with engineer Andrew Humphrey assisting in the self-produced sessions. Throughout, the album thrives in that sweet spot of nostalgia for something that never existed, a paradox made strangely comfortable. Speaking on their new album and the inspirations behind it, Luke Trimble wrote:“I didn’t sit down with any particular theme in mind, but rather, I wrote the songs intuitively based on what I was feeling and experiencing over several years. But after putting the album together, I saw big themes of love, loss, and fear, all with this underlying anxiety that I feel all the time. I guess I’m trying to tell the story of what that’s like. The album title, Eddy, summarizes this feeling; getting stuck in cyclical thoughts and habits, but still participating and being an element in the vast ocean of life. I didn’t sit down with any particular theme in mind, but rather, I want it to feel somewhat classic or familiar but refreshing. I think the melodies are smart and will get stuck in your head but in a more melancholy way. I want it to feel honest and believable. The album was produced by a number of people. I had a lot of vision for the album and gave general guidance but allowed people a lot of freedom. We tracked the rhythm section first, bass, drums and acoustic guitar with Andrew Humphrey. Then we pieced everything together. Some at my home and some in the studio, like strings and pedal steele.” |
