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Charly Bliss

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Charly Bliss
(L–R): Spencer Fox, Eva Hendricks, Sam Hendricks, and Dan Shure performing in June 2019
(L–R): Spencer Fox, Eva Hendricks, Sam Hendricks, and Dan Shure performing in June 2019
Background information
OriginBrooklyn, New York, United States
Genres
Years active2011 (2011)–present
LabelsBarsuk Records, Lucky Number Music
Members
Eva Hendricks
Spencer Fox
Sam Hendricks
Dan Shure
Websitecharlybliss.com Edit this at Wikidata

Charly Bliss are an American power pop band from Brooklyn, New York, who formed in 2011. The band's line-up is composed of siblings Eva (lead vocals, guitar) and Sam (drums) Hendricks, lead guitarist Spencer Fox, and bassist Dan Shure.[2] To date, the band have released three studio albums, Guppy (2017), Young Enough (2019), and Forever (2024).

The music of Charly Bliss has been described as "bubblegrunge", a portmanteau of bubblegum pop and grunge music.[3] Of Guppy, Pitchfork wrote that the band "hone in on [sic] an era from about 20 years ago, when seemingly every other band came blissed out, drenched in sun, and outfitted for a spot on the 10 Things I Hate About You or Jawbreaker soundtrack next to Veruca Salt."[4]

History

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2011-2015: EP, A Lot to Say EP, and Soft Serve EP

[edit]

Eva and Sam Hendricks grew up in Westport, Connecticut, the children of devoted music fans.[5] Eva first developed her interests in musical theater and also sang jingles for local commercials. She first met Spencer Fox, a former child actor who voiced Dash Parr in the 2004 film The Incredibles, outside of a Tokyo Police Club show at New York's Webster Hall. Fox moved to Westport midway through his junior year of high school and began collaborating with Eva on songs. Their earliest recordings, more acoustic, folk-based, and recorded in her bedroom, were posted to YouTube. Eva planned to go to New York University (NYU)'s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music post-graduation, and wanted to have a finished product to enter the program with.[6] She and Fox recorded an extended play under the Charly Bliss name, simply titled EP, which posted to Bandcamp in 2011.[7]

Their first tour was a six-month stint across Connecticut that was sparsely attended by friends and "a few drunk townies".[8] Eva went on to attend NYU, while Fox attended the State University of New York at Purchase, and Sam Hendricks diverged to attend Ohio's Miami University.[9]

Their second EP, A Lot to Say, was released in 2013.[5] The first iteration of Charly Bliss included bassist Kevin Copeland, who eventually left to pursue other interests.[8] They toured consistently, opening for bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Wolf Parade, and Veruca Salt.[10]

In June 2014, they released the EP Soft Serve, which included a three-part video series as well as a comic book trilogy.[11] After Copeland's exit, the band recruited Dan Shure on bass. He and Fox had met at theater camp as children and were longtime friends. At that time, Shure was directing off-Broadway productions but was an early fan of the band and did not want to miss the opportunity to join.

2015–2018: Guppy

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Main article: Guppy (album)
Charly Bliss performing in 2018

Charly Bliss began recording their debut album, Guppy, in 2015, but shelved the first result, feeling as though it did not sound like them. "We were really highlighting the aspects of our sound that make us a garage band, or a punk band," Eva remarked in a later interview. But the group came around to the fact that each member favored pop music above all, and they re-recorded Guppy with this renewed focus in mind.[9]

Guppy was released on Barsuk Records in April 2017 to rave reviews from music critics.[12] Following its release, the band went on tour across the U.S., and made their first-ever tour of the United Kingdom as well.[13] In 2018, they opened for Death Cab for Cutie, and released the single "Heaven".

2019-2023: Young Enough and Supermoon EP

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Main article: Young Enough

On February 6, 2019, Charly Bliss released the single "Capacity"[14] and announced their second studio album Young Enough, which released on May 10, 2019.[15] They recorded the album with veteran producer Joe Chiccarelli, who has also worked with U2, the Shins, and My Morning Jacket.[9] To commemorate the release, the band launched a 24 hour livestream on their youtube channel called CBTV, which included a full stream of the album, behind the scenes footage, and Charly Bliss-themed spoofs of TV shows, such as MTV Cribs.[16][17]

On October 30, 2019, the band released Supermoon, an EP with five songs, recorded during the same sessions that produced Young Enough.[18] In 2020, the group contributed a cover of the song "Pretend to Be Nice" from the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack for Saving for a Custom Van, a tribute compilation celebrating the life of musician Adam Schlesinger.[19]

2024-present: Forever

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On August 16, 2024, Charly Bliss released its third studio album Forever, the band's first since 2019.[20]

Musical style and influences

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Charly Bliss' music has been frequently compared to Weezer. "Weezer was our touchstone for such a long time," Eva Hendricks admitted in an interview in 2019. The band have also been inspired by the Killers (frequently covering "Mr. Brightside" on their Young Enough tour), Cibo Matto, the All-American Rejects, Fountains of Wayne[9] and Kate Bush.[21]

In an interview with Junkee, Eva Hendricks elaborated on the impact that new wave and the CBGB's music scene had on both her and her bandmates. "Growing up, our parents always had on records by Blondie, Talking Heads, David Bowie... a lot of that kind of music. I don't think we really appreciated all of it until we were a bit older — especially Talking Heads. By the time Spencer and I were teenagers, we were obsessed with them. I'm pretty sure every paper I ever wrote when I was in college was about David Byrne in one way or another." In the same interview, Hendricks also noted the influence of Lorde and her album Melodrama on the writing of the Young Enough album. "It's a perfect pop record, but it's a pop record that sounds like nothing else on the market," she said. "We were really inspired by that. The songwriting, the production... it's all in this very singular universe. Lyrically, too, it felt like she was so unafraid to say everything. The embarrassing things, the hard things... she dug as deep as she possibly could. They're such beautiful words."[22]

Members

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Current members

  • Eva Hendricks – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, synthesizer, additional percussion (2011–present)
  • Sam Hendricks – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2011–present)
  • Spencer Fox – lead guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer (2011–present)
  • Dan Shure – bass guitar, backing vocals, bass synthesizer, rhythm guitar (2014–present)

Former members

  • Kevin Copeland – bass guitar (2011–2014)

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Current
[23] 		US Indie
[24] 		UK
Indie
[25]
Guppy
  • Released: April 21, 2017
  • Label: Barsuk
 — — —
Young Enough
  • Released: May 10, 2019[15]
  • Label: Barsuk
 80 21 49
Forever
  • Released: August 16, 2024
  • Label: Lucky Number
 — — 47
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Extended plays

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Title Album details
Soft Serve EP
  • Released: June 7, 2014
  • Label: Self-Released
  • Recorded with Philadelphia-based producer, Kyle “Slic'k” Johnson (Modest Mouse, The Hives)[26]
Audiotree Live
  • Released: October 30, 2019[27]
  • Label: Audiotree Music
Supermoon
  • Released: October 30, 2019[18]
  • Label: Barsuk

Singles

[edit]
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Clean"[28] 2013 Non-album singles
"Ruby"[29] 2016
"Turd"[30]
"Glitter"[31] 2017 Guppy
"Westermarck"[32]
"Scare U"[33]
"Heaven"[34] 2018 Non-album single
"Capacity"[35] 2019 Young Enough
"Chatroom"[36]
"Hard to Believe"[37]
"Young Enough"[38]
"It's Christmas and I Fucking Miss You" (with PUP)[39] 2020 Non-album singles
"You Don't Even Know Me Anymore"[40] 2023
"I Need a New Boyfriend"
"Nineteen" 2024 Forever
"Calling You Out"
"Waiting for You"
"Back There Now"

Promotional singles

[edit]
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"[41] 2017 Non-album single

References

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  1. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (November 29, 2017). "50 Best Songs of 2017". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 6, 2022. ...this pogo-along track from the New York grunge-pop trio Charly Bliss...
  2. ^ "COMING SOON! Charly Bliss". Audiotree music. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Charly Bliss – Bubblegum Grunge". February 2016.
  4. ^ "Charly Bliss: Guppy". Pitchfork.
  5. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy (May 10, 2019). "Charly Bliss: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Forquer, Ty (May 11, 2017). "That '90s sound". City Pulse. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  7. ^ "Charly Bliss". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Keyes, J. Edward (April 17, 2017). "Charly Bliss: Fizzy Guitar-Pop That's Big, Bright, and Full of Feelings". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Tedder, Michael (May 10, 2019). "The Brave Explosions Of Charly Bliss". Stereogum. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  10. ^ Lovitt, Bryn. "Charly Bliss "Ruby"". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  11. ^ Retting, James (20 May 2016). "Band To Watch: Charly Bliss". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  12. ^ Katzif, Mike (13 April 2017). "First Listen: Charly Bliss, 'Guppy'". NPR.org. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  13. ^ Goodman, Jessica (June 14, 2017). "Charly Bliss announce UK tour dates, share "Westermarck" video". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  14. ^ Wang, Steffanee (6 February 2019). "Charly Bliss share new song "Capacity", announce sophomore LP". The Fader. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  15. ^ a b Alston, Trey (6 February 2019). "Charly Bliss Announce New Album, Share New Video Directed by Japanese Breakfast: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Behind the scenes footage, tutorials and an MTV Cribs spoof: Charly Bliss have launched their own TV channel, CBTV". Dork. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  17. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (10 May 2019). "Charly Bliss launch 24 hour tv channel to celebrate album release". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  18. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (October 30, 2019). "Listen to Charly Bliss' New Supermoon EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  19. ^ Kaufman, Gil (June 16, 2020). "All-Star Adam Schlesinger Tribute Album 'Saving For a Custom Van' Benefits COVID-19 Relief". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Dolan, Jon (August 16, 2024). "Charly Bliss Brilliantly Go Mega-Pop on 'Forever'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  21. ^ ."Charly Bliss - What's In My Bag?". youtube.com. December 9, 2019.
  22. ^ Young, David (3 May 2019). "Charly Bliss Just Want To Make Pop That Feels Invincible". Music Junkee. Junkee Media. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Top Current Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  24. ^ "Top Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  26. ^ "Charly Bliss – Ruby". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Charly Bliss - Audiotree Live". Bandcamp. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Haskoor, Michael (January 7, 2014). "Charly Bliss release new single "Clean" + plays Muchnore on 01.12". The Deli. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  29. ^ Kemp, Sophie (May 16, 2018). "CHARLY BLISS, GUPPY". Impose Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  30. ^ Bedford, Tori (May 26, 2018). "Charly Bliss — Mixing Music With Politics To Raise Money". WGBH. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  31. ^ Sherman, Maria (February 7, 2017). "Songs We Love: Charly Bliss, 'Glitter'". NPR. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  32. ^ Johnson, Eugenie (June 14, 2017). "THE NEU BULLETIN (CHARLY BLISS, FREE MONEY, LITANY & MORE)". DIY. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  33. ^ "CHARLY BLISS WANT TO 'SCARE U' WITH THEIR NEW VIDEO". DIY. October 17, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  34. ^ Albertson, Jasmine (September 19, 2018). "Charly Bliss Share Blissful New Single "Heaven"". KEXP. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  35. ^ Bote, Joshua (February 6, 2019). "Charly Bliss Announces New Album 'Young Enough,' Shares Single 'Capacity'". NPR. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  36. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (March 6, 2019). "Charly Bliss's new single "Chatroom" is a self-proclaimed "colossal 'fuck you'"". The Fader. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  37. ^ Russell, Scott (April 10, 2019). "Charly Bliss Fall to the Feeling on New Single/Video, "Hard to Believe"". Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  38. ^ "CHARLY BLISS RELEASE NEW VIDEO FOR 'YOUNG ENOUGH', PLUS UK HEADLINE SHOWS". DIY. June 12, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  39. ^ Bloom, Madison (17 December 2020). "Charly Bliss and PUP Team Up for New Song "It's Christmas and I Fucking Miss You": Watch the Video". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  40. ^ "You Don't Even Know Me Anymore". Bandcamp. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  41. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 28, 2017). "Charly Bliss – "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (Mariah Carey Cover)". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
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