Album Review: Charli Adams - 'Bullseye'
Charli Adams makes a dazzling entrance with debut record ‘Bullseye’, a nostalgic and confessional embodiment of a cathartic moment.
The past year has been rough, to say the least… however, the turbulent times gave the world an opportunity to have a collective reset lead by individuals realizing their value and having time to inevitably face their demons. We all jumped on this emotional rollercoaster not knowing what would happen when we came out of it but we still decided take the time to come clean with ourselves in order to move on. That is exactly what US-based alt rock up-and-comer Charli Adams’ first ever record ‘Bullseye’ is about. During 2020, Adams had a cathartic moment that led her to create a beautiful 11-song body of work with a nostalgic take on introspection and self-acceptance.
In her own words, “‘Bullseye’ tells the story of this massive awakening I had in 2020, after realising I had spent my entire life desperately trying to please other people at my own expense. It’s about my toxic relationships with men, my parents, God, myself and ways I’ve looked for freedom from it all through therapy and also more self-destructive coping mechanisms.”
Opening with oversharing anthem ‘Emo Lullaby :’( ’, Charli sets the stage for what’s to come by giving the listener hints as to what the next couple of songs will be. She helps you put yourself in her shoes by sharing how she went through the process of opening a dialog with herself during that cathartic moment and how she is “re-learning how to breath at the age of 23”.
On ‘Cheer Captain’ she touches on the idea of being a people-pleaser and how exhausting that is, especially when you are still in the process of discovering yourself. Almost complementary to this, ‘JOKE’S ON YOU (I Don’t Want To)’ reinforces the idea of fearlessly standing up for yourself with a rebellious shoegaze influenced vibe that just screams she’s “got better things to do” than just sit there and look pretty.
Charli’s honest and confessional songwriting then takes the listener for a trip down memory lane as she shares some of her experiences in toxic relationships. From magical head bop ‘Didn’t Make It’ to heart-breaking ‘Headspace’ ft. Ruston Kelly, Adams does not hold back on the honest and alluring text-painting that creates an imagery beyond belief in the songs.
The sonic palette of the album is delightfully cohesive and incredibly familiar as she pulls inspiration from legendary artists like Fleetwood Mac. With the help of Grammy-winning producers such as Dan Grech (Lana Del Ray, Troy Sivan), Patrick Dillett (St. Vincent, Sufjan Stevens), Brian Kierulf (Mike Posner, Britney Spears), and Nick Atkinson & Edd Holloway (Lewis Capaldi, Gabrielle Aplin, Adams manages to create a musically complex universe that is both digestible and amusing. This type of alt rock has been infused with so many interesting influences such as 80’s club vibe in ‘Remember Cloverland’ and the dream pop in ‘Get High w/ My Friends’.
Tittle track ‘Bullseye’ is certainly the perfect closing for this record as not only does it wrap up the introspective aspect of it but it also shares a small insight into how Charli herself sees things. Named after a nickname Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) gave her after meeting her at a bar playing darts, the song focuses on a past relationship she gave up as she understood her ambitions were not matched by her partner because, as she sings in an almost pop-punk style, she’s always had an “eye on the prize”.
“It’s really romantic to me that my album is essentially my journal throughout one of the hardest and most healing periods of my life. I also never really imagined I would feel liberated enough to share these stories so openly when the people and problems I’m addressing still exist in my life every day”. – says Adams.
This amazing record has not only introduced us to Charli’s musical universe but it has also confirmed she deserves to be regarded as one of the alt rock powerhouses in the making alongside Phoebe Bridgers and Beabadoobee.
Words by Nicole Otero