Versatile singer-songwriter Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delaine) has released her brand new single entitled “The Crying Room” today, along with a gripping music video featuring footage of the song’s first-ever live performance. “The Crying Room” is the next harbinger of Wessels“The Obsession,” the first traditional full-length solo album with the entire band, is set to be released on September 20, 2024 via Napalm Records. The track reveals another touching facet of this sonic masterpiece, in which on the one hand themes of anxiety, obsession and escapism are prevalent, while on the other hand there are also songs that offer a more optimistic approach to the subject.”The Crying Room” deals with this fear, while a plaintive guitar solo takes the listener into darker soundscapes.
About “The Obsession” Charlotte Wessels adds a lot of bombast to her genre-spanning 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 work to date.
As we prepared for the very first gig under my own name post-Covid, my tour manager asked me if I wanted my own dressing room. Knowing 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-earned 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 needing 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.
Charlotte Wessels
While she was still writing and producing the first versions of her songs in her Six Feet Under basement studio and sharing them with her clients, Charlotte Wessels takes the songs from her new album “The Obsession” to the next level with a band of ex-colleagues.Delain Colleagues Timo Somers (guitar, additional arrangements), Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije (bass) and Joey Marin de Boer (drums) as well as Sophia Vernikov (piano/Hammond) contribute to the new, harder sound. The album also contains arrangements by Vikram Shankar (Silent sky, Pain of redemption), cello by Elianne Anemaat, was played by Guido Aalbers (muse, Coldplay, The Assembly) and mastered by Andy VanDette (Porcupine tree, VOLA, Dream Theater).
On 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 song with everyone involved in the making of this record. That’s why I chose “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 in the studio with them that really reminded me why I’m obsessed with making music in the first place. Charlotte Wesselsnormal
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With thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify and a loyal fanbase on Patreon, Charlotte Wessels has already caused a stir with her previous solo projects “Tales From Six Feet Under” (2021) and “Tales From Six Feet Under Vol II” (2022). Now she is taking her career to the next level with The Obsession. These compilations showcased her ability to blend different musical styles and deeply personal lyrics, earning her widespread acclaim. The Obsession is expected to build on that foundation and offer fans an even more intense and powerful musical 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). In addition, there are songs that offer a more optimistic approach to the topic – like “Dopamine” (feat. Simone Simons/Epic), which deals with SSRI-induced deafness, or “Praise” – which sings the message that you need external validation to feel something. The new interpretation of the fan favorite “Gentle Revolution” not a single eye in the room will be dry while “Salvation of the soul” And “Serpentine” present an unprecedented dark sensuality. Each song functions like an exorcism, an attempt to drive out some of the fear it is about.
I am very grateful and proud to have Simone Simons and Alissa White-Gluz on board for this album. They are creative powerhouses that I love and respect very much. It is always an absolute pleasure when we work together and they really took the songs to a new level with their performances.Charlotte Wesselsnormal
Tracklist for “The Obsession”:
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)
“The Obsession” will be available in the following formats:
Gatefold 2-Vinyl SPLATTER + 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
Charlotte Wessels LIVE2024
08/17/24 NL – Ulft Dru Park / Huntenpop Festival
09/14/24 NL – Rotterdam / Baroeg Open Air
04.10.24 NL – Utrecht / TivoliVredenburg – Ronda (Album Release Show)
10/11/24 NL – Drachten / Poppoadium Iduna (with Camelot and Ad Infinitum)
Festival 2025
27.-09.07.25 FI – Helsinki / Tuska
06.-09.08.25 ES – Villena / Leyendas del Rock
15. -17.08.25 NL – Eindhoven / Dynamo Metal Fest
More to follow …
Friend of a Phantom EU Tour 2024
Support VOLA
01.11.24 DK – Aarhus / Voxhall
02.11.24 SUN – Gothenburg / Pustervik
11/3/24 NO – Oslo / Vulkan Arena
08.11.24 SUN – Stockholm / Fryshuset Klubben
11/10/24 DE – Berlin / Columbia Theater
11/11/24 PL – Krakow / Hype Park
11/13/24 CZ – Prague / Meetfactory
14.11.24 AT – Vienna / Flex
15.11.24 DE – Munich / Backstage Hall
16.11.24 CH – Zurich / Complex
11/17/24 IT – Milan / Live Club
19.11.24 DE – Cologne / Canteen
11/21/24 FR – Paris / Petit Bain
11/22/24 UK – London/Heaven
23.11.24 Great Britain – Nottingham / Rescue rooms
24.11.24 Great Britain – Glasgow / G2
25.11.24 Great Britain – Manchester / Club Academy
26.11.24 Great Britain – Bristol / SWX
11/27/24 LU – Esch-Sur-Alzette / Rockhal
11/28/24 NL – Eindhoven / Effenaar
29.11.24 DE – Hamburg / Market Hall
