Words cannot describe how high the excitement levels were for me ahead of this new Chartreuse EP entitled Is It Autumn Already?
Ever since seeing the band perform earlier in the year at Glee Club Birmingham, to a socially distance crowd, it was clear they stepped up a level. Chartreuse debuted some new songs which they later went onto confirm would be part of this EP. With new songs at a gig it can be quite difficult to get behind them, but they all had an impact and left me needing to hear it several more times. This was one of the reasons why I couldn’t wait for this release, a chance to finally hear all of these songs again.
The band have previously released EP’s Even Free Money Doesn’t Get Me Out of Bed along with Keep Checking Up On Me, which have both been successful in their own right. With ‘Three Days’ eclipsing over 1 Million plays on Spotify. So after only year, the band have returned with their third EP and it gives the initial impression it’s their best yet.
Opening with ‘Feed be Fed’ which was the third single to be released ahead of the EP. From the opening instrumentals, you’re anticipating a pacey beginning. However, vocals from Harriet Wilson stalls the pace, and brings an air of calm to the track. The contrast of the tempo from the drums compared to the slow guitars is refreshing, which is consistent throughout the song. The line “Power shows itself silently breathing” is one of the standout lines of the EP, and we’re only one song in, which is then followed by the wholesome chorus “Feed, be fed, be hungry”, which is simplistically beautiful. Essentially saying give back, be accepting and stay motivated to keep doing that, basically be a good person.
Is It Autumn Already? is the EP’s title, and it inherits it’s name from the opening song ‘Everything is Changing too quickly’ which is up there with the best songs Chartreuse have done. It wastes no time as the vocals come straight in, alongside a nervy rhythm. The song tackles how quickly life can change and fly by without you being really present. The line before the chorus is infectious, as lead singer Michael Wagstaff releases “You pass through/so grateful” just before the gentle tones of “happy birthday” are delivered. The breakdown is a whirlwind like something you’d here doing idealistic work of capturing the sound of anxiety as the world seems to race past you, ultimately feeling powerless.
‘Swedish Water’ follows and is perhaps the most upbeat track from the EP, with it being uplifting parts. Lead singer Michael Wagstaff spoke about writing the track, and said it came from seeing a lake in Sweden while meeting his girlfriend. The water looked unique and different, and compared it to his partner, which is a sweet sentiment. The track itself is understated and has some fantastic lines in there like “I can draw you from memory, I can write this shit when I’m feeling so heavy” which are all too frequent in this EP.
One thing which I’ve always admired about Chartreuse is their vocals, and how well Mike’s and Harriet’s vocals contrast so well together. They’re both so distinctive, and bring a definitive feeling to each note, giving the songs where they feature together extra depth. You can hear this so well in ‘Feed be fed’ as they both bring something different, almost changing the song.
This also can be heard on ‘Don’t Exit’, which is the shortest of the EP but one of the most powerful. With “Still pumping blood/and it’s not given up/don’t exit” being another of those powerful lines from the EP, as it sounds like a plea for someone not to give up and bow out. It’s a heavy hit after ‘Swedish Water’ but it’s very much needed to slow the pace for the following track.
We then move onto on to ‘Deep Fat’, which is a song vocalist Michael Wagstaff confessed at a live show he penned back when he was a teen. Although it being written in his early years, it has all the maturity and self-awareness of a track they would pen now. For me, this certainly should have been a single – however I could argue that for all of them. The track dives into the struggles of growing up and Mike paints the picture perfectly with lines like “I can’t get any sun in the garden past 2 or 3. The melody sounds like a warped dream with the pianos, and Wagstaff’s highly emotive vocal drive.
Finally, we come to the par de la resistance according to my ears with ‘Only You’. As soon as this song hit me live, I knew it would be a struggle to wait until release to hear it once again. Luckily, they released it ahead of the EP, and I probably wore it out, but still love it all the same. So, what’s special about this song? It’s like a haunting love story about someone completely devoting themselves to another person, admitting they’re the only one they could ever be with. The song goes through stages of building up as Wagstaff sings “Offer, offer me something / something I can’t refuse / refuse you I’d never / never do I’d never, turn my back on you, you”, and not giving you the pay off. Finally Wagstaff burns into flames vocally as he delivers the precipice and screams the word “you”. The piano is intense, and is only heightened when the line “and all the pictures you framed for me / they just gather dust and get right in the way of feeling sane”, which is my favourite lyric off the whole EP.
This review may read as a bit of a lovefest, being a big fan of the band and having previously fell in love with their other EP’s, but this EP is a masterpiece. As an independent act, there’s no too many acts doing what they’re doing. Every note fits like a glove, it’s all produced so well, it’s as if the band breathes as one musically. The Midlands is hotbed for new music at the moment, and Chartreuse are the most underrated band in there. To some extent I think that’s how they would like it, not to be under the spotlight and just to be left alone to create musical bliss.
If you haven’t heard Chartreuse before, use this EP as the gateway and fall deep. With three EP’s under their belt several radio plays and support slots It would be great to hear the band tackle an album. It’s quite clear they have the creative direction and can execute, I can only hope, but that’s me being greedy.
Photo credit: Pooneh Ghana