REVIEW: Charlotte Sands's Debut LP Reignites the Flame of Female-Powered Pop-Rock

This article is cross-posted on Rock Insider Press (https://www.rockinsiderpress.com/p/charlotte-sands-debut-lp-reignites-the-flame-of-female-powered-pop-rock).

Charlotte Sands' rise to popularity has been burning slow since her first release in 2018, followed by bedroom-written releases in 2020. But with her debut LP can we start over?, Charlotte Sands emerges as a fully aflame force to be reckoned with.

For female rockstar fans who like vocal powerhouses like Kelly Clarkson and pop-punk-rock divas like Avril Lavigne (who might also be a little too mature for artists like Olivia Rodrigo): enter Charlotte Sands. She spent last year opening for both pop-rock band PVRIS and Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. She's set to embark on a headlining tour in March. And with an album as rock-solid as can we start over? as her debut, it's clear Charlotte Sands is just getting started.

Stand-out tracks: "pity" "spite" "get over it"

My favorites: "blindspot" "can we start over?" "on the outside"

We all learned in school that when you write, you need an attention-grabber of an opening sentence to draw your audience in. Charlotte Sands makes it clear she's one to ace every test by opening can we start over? with soaring rocker "use me." Drums pound your ears and Sands's voice ascends beyond expectations, crying out with resentment,"I think I'm losing it/Is that what you want?/You keep talking shit/Is that all you got?"

The perfect juxtaposition of self-deprecating confidence is accentuated in "pity", with Sands lamenting that her perfect woman is with someone else. This girl is too good for a good-for-nothing, "She looks photoshopped/But she's standing right there/I talked to god/Said she's his favorite I swear". With screaming guitars, head-banging drums, and a get-stuck-in-your-head chorus, "pity" is an instant hit. "get over it" was one of the first tracks released from can we start over? and if you wanted to get a taste of the album without hearing the full project, this track is deceptively tame compared to the rest of the album. "get over it" leans more pop than many other tracks, with clever word-play lyricism and instrumentation that leans towards 2000s pop-rock.

Aptly named "spite" is an undeniable stand-out. While we've heard the "Never gonna let you forget/I'ma be your biggest regret" lyricism from other artists before, Charlotte Sands takes the route of rubbing it in her ex-lover's face a little further by putting the "Fuck it I'll get famous out of spite/I'll make it overnight/Be starring in the movies/Just to make you cry" spin on things. The trio of electronic drums, a growling guitar riff, and ostentatious lyrical punches sung by Sands powerhouse voice make "spite" the track on can we start over? that would take radio waves by storm.

While the A-side of can we start over? is all high-powered, audacious pop-rock hits, the B-side leans more soft-spoken and emotionally charged while carrying through sonically-cohesive instrumentation. "blindspot" is one of my personal favorites on can we start over?, with Sands pouring out her heart over the back-and-forth pull of wanting someone who doesn't see you the same way:"Where you come running back cause you got hurt/I'm in your blind spot/Waiting in the dark, is it my turn?" While the preceding track leaned towards heartbroken romanticism, "dead body" is the polar opposite; this is tumultuous, toxic love. The parallels of "Did I make you feel bad/promise I'll say sorry/Over my dead body" and "Take you back over my dead body/Call me a bitch as long as you don't call me" are seamless, effortlessly illustrating the ease of the back and forth in a passionate, destructive relationship.

The conclusive title track "can we start over?" opens hauntingly. Vocally, Charlotte Sands never shines brighter, injecting a yearning and gut-wrenching emotionality into each stratospheric note. Instrumentally, "can we start over?" is extraordinarily unpredictable, leaning into muted synth piano and cinematic percussion. Lyrically, the track stunningly encompasses each rise and fall of the preceding nine tracks, referring to another life in which the love she's lost wouldn't be painful, but rather full of hope. And Charlotte Sands concludes the track and the album by leaving the ever-important question on the table: "Can we start over?"

can we start over? is relentless, empowering, passionate pop-rock from its unassuming opening notes to its illustrious conclusion. Carried by unparalleled vocals, a fresh sound, and scorchingly introspective writing, with a debut this ambitious, Charlotte Sands has solidified herself as a fast-rising rockstar.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED

REVIEW: Out of the Blue, Brynn Cartelli

With her brand new debut album Out of the Blue, Brynn Cartelli is primed to be the next big singer-songwriter pop star. She finds her niche in cinematic, lyrically heart-tugging acoustic-pop, meeting and, dare I say, even sometimes exceeding the precedent set by hits like Olivia Rodrigo's "driver's license" and Gracie Abrams's "Mess It Up."

Now five years out from winning Season 14 of The Voice at only fifteen years old, Brynn Cartelli has already proved that she has enough vocal talent to succeed on that alone. But with many of the album's fourteen tracks self-written by Cartelli, Out of the Blue proves that she also shines as a lyricist, romanticizing the growing pains of young love and yearning for self-acceptance with the finesse and sophistication of a well-seasoned virtuoso.

Stand-out tracks: "Gemini" "Watching My Friends Fall in Love""The Blue" "Boy From Home"

My favorites: "Beginning of the End" "Convertible in the Rain" "Fine Line" "Leader"

From the first resounding synths of "Beginning of the End,"Out of the Blue is fully immersive, with the themes of the album evident from the first lines: "Looking for hope in the all the wrong places/Trying to hold on as everything changes/I can't let go of familiar faces." Cartelli illustrates with knowing precision the overwhelming spiral of watching your life change before your eyes and the inescapable knot in your chest you feel when you're crashing down from a high that you knew would never last.

If you walk away from Out of the Blue without the bridge or chorus of "Gemini" stuck in your head, please tell me your secrets; this one is addictive ear-worm pop at its best. From its persistent beat and mesmerizing vocal layering to its witty horoscope-influenced lyricism (see: "I'm falling for a Gemini/It's in the stars, in the sky/I don't know why I can never fall for your pretty lies"), "Gemini" is the captivating hook into the world of Out of the Blue that won't let go. It's followed by punchy "Watching My Friends Fall in Love," where Cartelli's full vocal range finally has a chance to stretch its wings. The warmth and unconditional joy we feel seeing those we love finding love isn't often center stage in pop music; being the third wheel has never been more joyous than in lyrics like "You keep it quiet, don't get too far in advance/At 3 a.m. I catch you gripping honest hands/And in the hallway he says, "Do you wanna dance?"/And I'm a fan."

While so many other moments on Out of the Blue are romantic and hopeful, the inspiration for the album's title comes from "The Blue," an optimistically messy processing of the blindsiding end of a relationship. Brynn isn't one to walk away without proving that the love she felt was real, and not just from her perspective:"You told me, you could see me/Looking pretty dressed in all white/And you know I, I believed it/But, babe, I was blinded by your lies/Said it was 'alright'/You would tell me all the time/It came out of the blue." "Boy From Home" is the culmination of Out of the Blue as a complete work of art. This is Cartelli's love letter to New York City, to a new version of herself. It's a goodbye to a love from her past. It's the hurt and the freedom of finally seeing through "fake empathy" and apologies.

I listened to all the tracks pre-released from Out of the Blue prior to the full album release, and "Convertible in the Rain" is the one that really made me believe that Brynn Cartelli is something special. While this track as a whole is light compared to many others on the album, Cartelli's visual, romantic young-love storytelling is incomparable, the groovy, jazzy synth and electric guitar hook is refreshing-- "Convertible in the Rain" itself just feels as magical as the moment described in the song.

Even the understated tracks that fill out Out of the Blue's tracklist are exquisitely executed both in production and writing. "Running In Place" is upbeat, illustrating tumultuous love that you just can't detach from (I'm obsessed with the line "There's a suitcase ready, right next to my bed/So don't you tempt me, or I'll be gone in ten". "Girl Code" is classic acoustic pop, spun in the direction of struggling with the mess of desiring the same person as someone you care about, while reveling in the charm and captivation of the beginnings of new love. "Lucky to Love You" is sweet, heartfelt adoration all wrapped up in a silky bow. "Darker Days" sounds like it would be at home on Kacey Musgraves's Golden Hour; sentimentalizing a drive through your hometown, frozen over by the middle of winter, longing for your world to feel bigger than it does.

The final rise and fall of Out of the Blue comes with the coupling of soaring "Play With Fire" and raw piano ballad "Leader." The former is scorching, with Brynn pouring all the power of her formidable vocal range into shattering a love that has torn her apart. Boasting writing credits from Justin Vernon thanks to its interpolation of Bon Iver's "Holocene" and one of the strongest bridges on the album, "Play With Fire" is an unwavering high. After baring her heart in so many ways across the album, Cartelli concludes Out of the Blue with devastating "Leader." The crushing weight of being strong for everyone but herself finally breaks her: "Cause I'd do anything for ya/But I'm selfish if I'm helpless on the floor/Can't do this anymore/Can't be your leader." Through all the heartbreak, both for herself and love lost, documented in the metaphorical-journal pages of Out of the Blue, it's clear that Brynn Cartelli has set herself free, and her debut is just the beginning.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED

Abby's GRAMMY Predictions: ALBUM OF THE YEAR