Not a Demo Anymore | Charlie Smith
Weekly Feature: March 26th 2023 | Written By Coren Farley
Charlie Smith is an artist based in Hampshire who takes clear inspiration from Nirvana, creating tracks that sound like they’re straight from the 90s grunge scene.
With over 3,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, it’s clear this talented artist is up and coming in the music scene gaining traction and exposure from gigs that showcase his raw vocals.
‘Not a Demo Anymore’ follows Charlies first album ‘I Just Want to Sleep’ released in 2021. Building on the gritty vocals from first album, ‘Not a Demo Anymore’ really delivers, it’s clear to hear how much Charlie has progressed as an artist with the emphasis on creating tracks that encompass the union between guitar and vocal. For fans of the previous album the track ‘I own a tree’ pays homage to Charlie’s first album with the deep rasp of his voice echoing some of his earlier songs.
The listener can expect to explore a range of melancholic acoustic tracks that hold powerful lyrics, a journey through each individual track that explores the thoughts and feelings of the artist. The heavily raw instrumental ‘Intro’ leads the album setting the tone and displaying Charlie’s freestyle guitar skills with a unique amount of feedback that leans into the grunge theme. ‘Point of view’ feels like it could be on playlist alongside Indie/emo revival bands like The Hotelier, if a band was behind Charlie this would really solidify the tracks place on a playlist like this.
This album encompasses raw developing talent, it allows the listener to experience a new yet familiar stage in Charlie’s musical journey as he grows from strength to strength. This album is perfect for the moody reminiscent grunge kid within us all, letting the listener experience a fresh take on a unique genre. Catch Charlie live at The Railway Inn in Winchester on the 2nd of April for their acoustic night, tickets available here.