Five years is five years too long since 2019's Young Enough, but at long last, Charly Bliss (siblings Eva and Sam Hendricks, plus Dan Shure and Spencer Fox) are back with their third record FOREVER.
Although they're no strangers to pop music, having dabbled in '90s pop revivalism to frenetic bubblegrunge, FOREVER is Charly Bliss' swan dive into pop excellence. Produced by Jake Luppen (Hippo Camus), Caleb Wright (Samia) and the band's drummer Sam Hendricks, the record is filled with Charly Bliss-style unabashed playfulness, which is realized now more than ever as they fully embrace their pop sound with triumphant self-assuredness. If the band's 2017 debut Guppy was filled with jagged edges and confessions filled with reckless honesty, and Young Enough was a synthed-up love letter of celebration, then FOREVER is ever knowing and wise beyond its years, and offers a level of maturity and reflection that is well-matched with overflowing joyfulness — above all, FOREVER is fun.
FOREVER is the natural progression from Young Enough, and takes that record's '80s inspired sound to a sun-kissed commemoration. Even though the recording process for FOREVER was done remotely (Eva had moved to Australia during the COVID-19 lockdown), this album proves that distance only makes the heart grow fonder.
"Calling You Out" taps into the urge to self-sabotage in a relationship — the track's bubbling synths and snappy guitar licks set the record off on a strong high at only the second track. The momentum that "Calling You Out" sets is captured throughout the rest of the album with just as much gusto. "Back Here Now" is an addictive anthem about meeting back up with an ex: "You couldn't pay me to go back there now / So I tell myself / So it might come true." The band's commitment to having fun is as apparent as it is infectious, and the energy of "Back Here Now" makes it the perfect song to scream back at Eva in a crowded venue: "Sometimes I miss you, but I already know / A boy like you would hang me if I gave you the rope."
FOREVER shines in its ability to seamlessly blend different tones; "Nineteen" was the first single released before the album, a power-ballad that leaves Eva's voice scraped raw with emotion, but just as powerful and commanding as ever.
Additionally, this third record continues to take Young Enough's themes of introspection and self-consciousness and develop it through snappy one-liners and glittering conviction. "I Don't Know Anything," is the honest confession to "buying into the life of insanity" and getting caught up in the glamour and romance of being a musician. To admit that you don't know anything is a form of freedom, and that feeling is perfectly captured by Eva's voice, offering a refreshing candor on an age-old subject.
"Waiting for You" is a love letter from Eva to her bandmates ("Me and the guys.") With the further context of knowing that she recorded most of FOREVER remotely in her home in Australia, this track shines: "In the van that night / Under nowhere sky / It was perfect / I was always waiting for you." In a record that doesn't shy away from wearing its heart on its sleeve, no matter how messy or cheesy (à la "Last First Kiss") it can be, "Waiting for You" is the track that hit the most when it comes to confessions of love and devotion.
If Guppy is the unfiltered, call-it-as-it-is youngest child that scribbles on the walls in black Sharpie and Young Enough is the eldest child that is able to get lost in celebration and shedding self-blame, then FOREVER is the complex, colourful middle child — a vivid, glowing addition to the tapestry of Charly Bliss' larger-than-life portfolio.
Charly Bliss have long moved on from their past comparisons to Weezer and Veruca Salt and have emerged, victorious, as a force to be reckoned with. FOREVER sees Charly Bliss firmly planting roots for themselves within the pop sphere with a sense of purpose and playful, joyous intention that even well-seasoned pop bands struggle to do.