Charlotte Spiral Will Release EP 'New Light'

Dark-alt pop duo Charlotte Spiral impressed with their debut EP Ideal Life in February 2020, garnering widespread critical acclaim, a Union Chapel show in support of Alice Boman, a Rough Trade Recommends showcase, and support from BBC6 Music. Now one year later, they have teamed up with Speedy Wunderground's Dan Carey (Sia, Bat For Lashes, Kae Tempest) once more for their evocative new EP New Light. Confronting and examining loss, escapism, dissatisfaction and comparing oneself, New Light will be released on April 9th.

Recorded both remotely and in-person with collaborator Dan Carey throughout the last year in and out of lockdown, New Light is both a reaction to, and a product of, Charlotte Spiral's experience of an extended period of self-reflection.

Lead single and title track "New Light" examines the internal conflict between living in the moment and wishing you were elsewhere, and thanks to social media, comparing your own life to others. Speaking about the song, lead singer Amy Spencer explains that it was written in response to a personal battle that will be familiar to many: "It's simply a message to myself to live more in the present and stop imagining how things could be, especially nowadays when it's so easy to get distracted and compare yourself to other people".

The opening track on the EP, "Out of Here", which was co-produced over zoom with Dan Carey during the first lockdown, addresses a recurring situation - one that breeds a longing for escape. "There is something about doing things over and over again in a monotonous way that makes a situation feel worse than it is, and I wanted to portray this throughout the song" says Spencer. Meanwhile, "Things You Lost" sees Spencer comfort a loved one through the loss of someone close. "I'm trying to reassure them that even though it will never be the same, it will get better, regardless of how it feels in the moment."

The EP's closing piano piece leaves a lingering sense of longing and displacement, it's a cyclical and gentle ode to the opening track, "Out of Here". Almost like a cliff-hanger, the piece utters a wordless message that the story of Charlotte Spiral is only just beginning.

Listen to the new single "New Light" here:

Photo Credit: Barbora Mrazkova