Versatile singer-songwriter Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain) has today unveiled her brand new single entitled “The Crying Room,” along with a gripping music video featuring footage from the song’s first ever live performance. “The Crying Room” is the next forerunner of Wessels‘ first traditional full-length solo album with the entire band, The Obsessionwill be released on September 20, 2024 via Napalm Records.
Pre-order The Obsession here: https://lnk.to/CW-TheObsession/napalmrecords
“The Crying Room” reveals another touching facet of this sonic masterpiece, which on the one hand is filled with themes of anxiety, obsession and escapism, but on the other hand also features songs that take a more optimistic approach to the subject. “The Crying Room” explores this anxiety, while a weeping guitar solo draws the listener into darker soundscapes.
Charlotte Wessels commented on ‘The Crying Room’: “As we were preparing for the very first gig under my own name post-Covid, my tour manager asked me if I wanted my own dressing room. Even though I knew full well I’d be a nervous wreck, I told her I didn’t need a private room – just a place where I could have a well-deserved meltdown without ruining everyone’s mood. And that, my friends, is how ‘The Crying Room’ was born. It’s a song about the fear of failure, about having to take a breath before diving headfirst into something new. Everyone loves to tell stories of bravery and heroism, but let’s be honest: I want to hear more stories about people who are absolutely terrified… and still pull it off – that’s a central theme of the album, and ‘The Crying Room’ is an invitation to do just that.”
To The Obsession, Charlotte Wessels adds a lot of bombast to her genre-crossing songwriting, as captivating melancholy and dark catchy tunes meet progressive and harder melodies. The storytelling within the songs gives the multifaceted album even more depth and makes The Obsession an exciting listening experience and Wessels‘ most mature solo offering to date.
Charlotte Wessels will join VOLA on their Friend of a Phantom EU Tour 2024.
UK dates with VOLA:
11 November: Great Britain London, Sky
November 11th: UK Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
11 November: UK Glasgow, G2
November 11th: UK Manchester, Club Academy
11 November: UK Bristol, SWX
Wessels about the new album: “On the one hand, this album tells a very personal story – through its unintentional theme of anxiety, obsessions and escaping from them – and at the same time it represents the joy of finding the true forms of the songs with everyone who was involved in the creation of this record. That’s why I decided The Obsession as the title. It refers to my personal challenges with OCD, which inspired many of the songs – but I also started referring to the band as The Obsession – because there were moments with them in the studio that really reminded me why I’m obsessed with making music in the first place.”
With thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify and a loyal fanbase on Patreon, Charlotte Wessels has already made an impression with her previous solo projects, Stories from Six Feet Under (2021) and Tales from Six Feet Under, Volume II (2022). Now she is taking her career to the next level with The ObsessionThese compilations demonstrated her ability to mix different musical styles and very personal lyrics and earned her great recognition. The Obsession is intended to build on this foundation and offer fans an even more intense and powerful music experience.
Themes such as fear, obsession and escapism are omnipresent on the album and present themselves dark and heavy in songs such as “The Exorcism”, “The Crying Room” and “Ode To The West Wind” (feat. Alissa White-Gluz/Archenemy). There are also songs that offer a more optimistic approach to the topic – such as “Dopamine” (feat. Simone Simons/Epic), which deals with SSRI-induced numbness, or “Praise” – which sings about needing external validation to feel anything. The reinterpretation of fan favorite “Soft Revolution” leaves no dry eye in the house, while “Soulstice” and “Serpentine” present an unprecedented dark sensuality. Each song itself functions like an exorcism, an attempt to exorcise some of the fear it deals with.
Wessels Comments on the guests: “I am very grateful and proud Simone Simons And Alissa White-Gluz to the line-up of this album. They are creative powerhouses that I love and respect very much. Whenever we work together it is an absolute pleasure and they really took the songs to a new level with their performances.”
The Obsession will be available in the following formats:Gatefold 2-Vinyl RED + 2 bonus tracks (“Backup plan” + “Breathe; Expanded”), D-Side Etched – limited to 200 copies worldwide *Napalm Records Mailorder Only*
Gatefold 2-Vinyl RECYCLED BLACK + 2 bonus tracks (“Backup plan” + “Breathe; Expanded”), D-side etched
Gatefold 2-Vinyl INKSPOT + 2 bonus tracks (“Backup Plan” + “Breathe; Extended”), D-side etched *Patreon Exclusive*
Digisleeve + Shirt Package
Digisleeve
Digital Album
The Obsession Tracklist:
1. Chasing sunsets
2. Dopamine
3. The Exorcism
4. Salvation of the soul
5. The screaming room
6. Ode to the West Wind
7. Serpentine
8. Praise
9. Everything you are
10. Strength and Bravery
11. Breathe;
12. Gentle Revolution (2024)
Charlotte Wessels on-line:
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