I remember hearing an early iteration of "Don't Die Charlie" at Lee's Palace when CJ Wiley played the 2022 edition of our annual Class Of concert series. It's a remarkable thing to remember a song only heard once almost three years ago, and to hear it go from a fledgling work-in-progress to a fully fleshed-out studio production.
It's the latest single from Wiley's highly anticipated debut album, So Brand New, building on previous releases "Adelaide," "No One Like U" and "Cheap Therapy" to add some robustness to what we can expect from the record. "Don't Die Charlie" lifts the depth and twang of the singer-songwriter's singular voice with sun-blistered guitar tones — and the massive swell that both precedes and follows the bridge — as they plead with a friend.
This situation is quite literally life-or-death, and the song beautifully captures the emotional heft of helplessly reaching out for the rescue. (It also rhymes "mustard" with "custard" for good measure).