Charlie Collins Sets The Tone For Her Third Studio Album With New Single ‘Transactional Deal’

Eora singer-songwriter Charlie Collins stokes the fire of her third forthcoming studio album with the sultry, hazy slow burner Transactional Deal. Marked as her first bit of music since her sophomore project Undone, and 2023 cover of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know, Transactional Deal is indicative of a new chapter ahead for the singer.

The single explores the complexities of online dating and casual hookups, and the nature of those experiences being a matter of expectation and physical exchange. Collins husky, delicate vocal delivery provides warmth to lyrics that emphasise a feeling of longing for something better.

“This song is inspired by dating apps, one-night stands and shit hinge dates,” she said. “It’s about the pressures we have to live up to our photos and perform to the expectations that have been held over us. I put myself in compromising positions because I was lonely or just wanted some sort of affection or attention but lost my sense of self-respect along the way in doing so.”

Working with the legendary Split Enz and Crowded House member Neil Finn, music producer Steven Schram and producer-songwriter Tom Iansek, the song was birthed at Roundhead Studios in Auckland. The track harks back to the blatant honesty that evidently catapulted Collins to success. Since her breakout debut album Snowpine in 2019, the artist has never been one to hush her experiences, no matter how confronting or provocative. 

 “I’m not one to shy away from confrontation when it comes to stuff like this,” she says “I want to encourage women in particular to be bold and talk about the uncomfortable, we can also be real and raw with this and say it how it is.”

With the release comes a Sean McDonald-directed and produced official music video for Transactional Deal. The video shows Collins and a pig masked-man in a motel room, clouded by a dim lamp and the streetlights poking through the curtains. The video draws from Collins’ own conceptual visions, toying with the tension of being objectified and objectifying. She makes a statement about the power dynamics within one-night stands, depicting herself as the one in control, setting the stage and making a spectacle out of the man she’s seeing. As the visual continues, she moves through the room, playing the part she is ultimately destined to in these situations, leaving her feeling unfulfilled and empty.

With the buzz of her forthcoming third album in the air, Collins hopes the music that awaits her fans will sit side-by-side with her debut album, exemplifying the most pure and raw version of herself. Transactional Deal is simply the teaser for what’s to come.

Check out Charlie Collins’ Transactional Deal below.