LP Walkthrough: Charlie Collins - Undone

Photo by She Is Aphrodite

Gifted songwriter and Sydney local Charlie Collins today releases her long-awaited sophomore LP Undone, a vulnerable and honest document demonstrating the strength and resilience that comes after nearly losing it all. Building her solo career since 2018 and making her breakout in 2019 (something we had a bit to talk about at the time), Charlie’s ARIA nominated, and AIR award winning debut studio album Snowpine caught the attention of many, landing her supports for Sam Fenders, Orville Peck and Gang of Youths, and slots at Laneway Fairgrounds and Woodford Festival over the past couple of years - an impressive run considering the climate of the Australian Music scene. The release of Undone see’s the natural performer joining Gang of Youths on their UK & Ireland tour, in addition to her own headline tour to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne later this month, and in early May (see full details below). 

The indie-pop-rock LP features previously released single Undone, Just My Luck, Fuck It, and most recent single Backseat Valentine - releases that have all helped the singer-songwriter and recent producer build 5 million streams to her name. The album's journey starts over two-years ago, sparked by a rediscovery of her wildness, spontaneity and freedom as a result of a marriage separation. The LP’s first iteration was scrapped to make way for a new vulnerable and deeply personal body of work that provides a true insight into who Charlie Collins is. The track Are You Even Listening co-produced by the artist, and tracks Could I Have Loved You Anymore and November fully produced by Charlie are some of her most personal work, the talent leaning to her production skills to really help express her emotions in a special sonic way. 

The journey of releasing herself from hangups and hurt, and letting go of her past also saw Charlie calling on some help from her friends, collaborating with the likes of Gabriel Strum (Japanese Wallpaper) to co-write the title track, as well as Jarryd James, Xavier Dunn, Scott Horscrof and Joji Malani to produce the record. With the release of the LP, Charlie invites you in on this epic journey of loss and resilience, with plenty of delightful sonic textures, and incredible lyricism and ear-worm melodies along the way. 

Be sure to hit play on Charlie Collins’ new release Undone below, and have a deeper look into what went into each composition as she walks us through track by track.

Lovers To Strangers

This song was probably one of the hardest songs to write emotionally. I was hanging out with my ex of 10 years, saying our last goodbye and just the feeling of knowing someone so well, with every fibre of your being, then becoming strangers, like a distant memory was heartbreaking. I remember coming home and bawling my eyes out on my bed and writing this song. 

Just My Luck 

I co-wrote this song with gab strum (Japanese wallpaper) who I’m such a huge fan of but also is a dear friend. It was so nice to finally collaborate! We got to the session and I just started pouring my heart out about me being such a love junkie and how I fall quite easy and hard and sometimes it means I get hurt in the process. 

Undone 

Here we have another classic Charlie sad song about heartache. This one is about having an epic fight with your partner and wanting to escape it all and not feel that pain anymore.

Hit The Lights

I wrote this one with one of my favourite humans Jarryd James. We began writing the music first and then let the lyrics and story get inspired by the music. It’s about being there for someone through all the ups and downs. Sticking by their side and lifting each other up when the other falls. 

Backseat Valentine 

This was probably one of the most fun songs I’ve ever written! I wrote this with Xavier Dunn and honestly the song almost wrote itself. It’s about my crazy, wild side and that pretty much sums this one up.

Are You Even Listening

This is about losing yourself in a relationship but not in a good way. Sometimes you can get so caught up in the other person you forget who you are and almost lose your own identity even though the feeling is not reciprocated. 

November

I found myself at a piano on the first year I was divorced on what was meant to be my 10 year wedding anniversary. I’d never written a song on piano but found myself somehow playing chords while tears fell on the keys. This song is exactly about the way I was feeling that day. 

Skyline

this is the first song I wrote on the record and actually one of my favourites. It’s about not having a kind of my own when I was going through a hard time and feeling like I was almost a puppet on a string and feeling too afraid to speak my own mind. 

Fuck It

one of the things I hate most is gossip, especially when you’re the topic. This is about knowing you’ve made a mistake but also knowing that it’s yours to carry and deal with in your own time. Someone else’s pain should not be someone’s else’s gossip because that shit can really destroy you. 

No More To Lose 

This is about being in a relationship you know is completely wrong and somehow along the way it just almost turns into nothingness. 

Couldn’t Have Loved You Anymore

This song really gets me. It’s almost a trigger in some ways. I wrote this after my heart was completely broken and it’s about not feeling good enough for someone and feeling impossible to love and making that call to walk away before it turns into something so broken it can’t be fixed. 

 Undone Album Tour 2022

Sat May 14 – Oxford Art Factory – Sydney
July 22 – 24 - Splendour In The Grass – Byron Bay

Tickets on sale via charliecollinsmusic.com

Charlie Collins’ new album Undone is out now via Island Records Australia/ Universal Music Australia.

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