Christy - 'Without You'
Newcomer Christy cements himself as one to watch with his latest release, ‘Without You’.
It would seem that 2023 is the year for Scottish artists. With his release this week, Christy adds himself to the never-ending list of brilliant musicians to keep an eye on, and with his sweet-as-honey tone and lyrics, it's any wonder why people are starting to finally pay attention. A fantastic track to jump-start the new year, in his own words Christy says that so much of this release has been about ‘throwing away all my fucks’. Exploring themes of coming to terms with your own mistakes and the idea of understanding and accepting that things are different, it's the embodiment of the feeling of January and new years; something we all can relate with.
What hits you right away is the repeated guitar line on the track. It has a relentlessness to it that demands your attention but a simplicity which makes it instantly stick in your head. Christy has explained on his social media that this track was written over the course of a mad couple of weeks in Wales and this energy really translates into the instrumentation of the song. When listening to it, you can hear the immediacy of the melody, almost like it is being improvised and created before your eyes. Full of rasp, Christy’s tone is incredibly vulnerable and heartfelt. The lyrics only make this more apparent as they are delivered with palpable honesty and intimacy.
‘I got a pretty picture of you on my wall but I don’t want to move it and forget it all. I never thought that you’d never call, is this my fault?’
You can’t help but fall in love with Christy with lines like these; there is a real power and strength that comes from being so stripped back and vulnerable. The pairing of the vocals against the plain guitar line is brilliant; acoustic and with nowhere to hide you are transported into the studio and feel as though you are the only person being sung to. The way the music swells on lines like ‘I’ve got to live without you’ effortlessly pull at the heart strings and altogether go to show just how much you can convey with a singer and his guitar.
There's a real ‘lived-in’ quality to the way that Christy sings. It comes to little surprise that he has long been a staple in the Glasgow busking scene and whilst he would never be one to boast, you really get the sense of how much work, passion and determination has been put into the songwriting. Over the last few years, Christy has been building up a fanbase which spans beyond the city streets and has amassed huge followings on TikTok and Instagram after sharing covers and original pieces of songwriting. When he talks about his work, you get an idea of the huge community behind the music and his constant gratitude and thanks to his producers, production team and collaborators feels genuinely warm and earnest. Sincerity is at the heart of everything Christy does and this track really echoes that.
Having been quiet about his plans for the new year, the only way is up for Christy going forward. There’s no doubt we will be hearing again from him soon and as the days grow longer and we slowly but surely head back to the summer, we fully expect and hope to see more of him and his music. As festival lineups continue to get announced, make sure to keep an eye out for his name popping up here and there and with any luck between times he will give us some more stuff to listen to and enjoy!
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
