05 October 2021 - 0 Comments

Eclectic pop duo Charity Children are to release their third and final studio album, Almost Young on October 8th on Charity Children Records (pre-save the album HERE).

If you haven’t already heard of them then Charity Children have an epic story to share. The duo is a Berlin-based, New Zealand-raised, alternative pop band, between filmmakers/musicians and now ex-partners, Chloë Lewer and Elliott McKee. The songs are eclectic and colourful, ranging from theatrical and flamboyant, to heart wrenching. The emphasis is on storytelling, the lyrics are witty and poetic, supported by a modern vintage sounding production.

She Still Wants You is one of the album's shining lights, with glowing harmonies that meet nostalgic synth sounds. Elliott’s infectious vocal comes loaded with fragrant melodies and literal lyricism which is packed with a neatly told narrative. Discussing the focus single Elliott explains:

“One of the overarching themes of the album is giving the sort of unsolicited advice to friends that you should be following yourself. ‘She Still Wants You’ is an example of this. Although clearly written to someone else in a moralisting way about how that friend should be letting go of a fading love for the sake of another- I was at the time perpetrating the same sort of behaviour. It’s always easier to give advice than to take it and projecting outwards often clarifies my inward dilemmas, helping me take the advice I can so easily dish out.”

Influenced by artists including Mac DeMarco, Andy Shauf, Vampire Weekend, Whitney, Cigarettes After Sex, Soko, The Band, Peter Ivers and (like everybody), The Beatles, they started out as a busking band in Berlin in 2011, selling close to 10,000 physical copies of their first album on the street and quickly grew over the years, especially beloved and well-known in their homebase, Berlin. They went on to tour Europe and moved off the streets into the studio during the colder months to record two previous albums, The Autumn Came and Fabel. Between 2016-2019, the pair broke off their romantic relationship and took a break to become friends and eventually were able to musically collaborate again.

‘’This album was our version of couples therapy. The only way we knew how to heal together was through music.’’ - Chloë Lewer

Almost Young takes the duo in a more experimental direction that utilises studio resources opposed to already developed, live sounds. Fourteen classic and timeless songs the duo knew they wanted to produce, but without many preconceived notions of how they should sound. Centered around their favourite instrument, the piano, in a studio setting, it’s an apt reflection of their experiences as a couple and apart. This grand finalé captures their final time making music together, a bittersweet yet poignant tale.

‘’Our fable would forever feel unfinished if we didn’t build up the strength, do the work, face our demons and lovingly go through this process together. Elliott and I had already been through so many hard times together and we needed a reason to celebrate life, our previous relationship and our newfound friendship.’’ - Chloë Lewer

The name for the album is taken from one of the band’s biggest lyrical influencers, Leonard Cohen’s song So Long, Marianne.

‘’We met when we were almost young
Deep in the green lilac park
You held on to me like I was a crucifix
As we went kneeling through the dark’’ - Leonard Cohen

Despite what you might think, this ‘comeback’ record is about Chloë and Elliott’s troubles in and out of other relationships, advice to friends (that they wish they could give themselves) and the grief of losing Elliott’s mother. In the midst of writing this album, the pair had a near death life experience, as they were in a car crash together. Both surviving to tell the tale, which now seemed ever-more a vital one to tell, this is Charity Children’s last goodbye;

“We’ve been heartbroken numerous times, we’ve lost loved ones, we’ve made incredible friendships, we've seen new places, we’re inspired by new things. Like everyone, life doesn’t stop evolving - change is inevitable - so it would be artistically dishonest to not allow your music to change with you. Whatever we settled on in this album is simply a reflection of where and who we are right now. We like to make albums that reflect the spectrum of our experiences and we’re certainly not people defined by one mood. No one is. Almost Young embraces the bi-polarity of one’s existence.” - Elliott McKee

Almost Young is to be released on October 8th via Charity Children Records. There will be a limited edition vinyl, which can be pre-ordered HERE.

Photo Credit: Andrea Ariel

Comments

Return to News Archive